Brigham Young University
Harold B. Lee Library
Gift of
Sanford Bingham
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THE LIFE OF
JOSEPH SMITH
THE PROPHET
BY GEORGE Q. CANNON
SECOND EDITION
THE DESERET NEWS
Salt Lake City, Utah
1907
Entered according to Adt of Congress in the year 1 888, by
GEORGE Q. CANNON,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
All Rights Reserved.
HAROLD B LEE LIBRARY **
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
PROVO, UTAH _— •
PREFACE.
Joseph and Hyrum are now dead; but like the first
martyr they yet speak. Their united voice is one of testi-
mony, admonition and warning to the world.
They lived men of God. They died pure and holy,
sealing their testimony with their blood.
No men ever suffered greater persecution than they :
no men were ever less understood by their generation.
It is in the hope that the Saints may find joy in read-
ing of their beloved Prophet and Patriarch, and that the
world may judge more fairly of these benefactors of man-
kind, that this book is written.
To the Author its preparation has been a loving duty.
In the midst of a somewhat busy and laborious life, he
has found comfort in the contemplation of this great sub-
ject. The closing chapters, detailing the final sufferings
upon earth of the Prophet of God and his ever- constant
brother, were finished in prison for adherence to the
principles which they taught, and for this, the Life is
invested with a dearer regard. To send the work away
now is like being torn from a beloved companion, when
most the solace of his friendly presence is needed.
In some respects this volume may be imperfect; the
circumstances which surrounded its preparation were not
IV PREFACE.
favorable to the collection and arrangement of materials,
but it is believed to be truthful and just.
To many friends the Author is indebted for inform-
ation here embodied; and he takes this occasion to thank
them, hoping to live yet to meet them and express his
gratitude in the flesh.
That the sublime example and inspired teachings of
Joseph the Prophet of the last Dispensation, may be of
eternal benefit to all who read this Life, is the heart- felt
wish of
The Author.
Utah Penitentiary, October 1, 1888.
CONTENTS.
Joseph Smith Frontispiece.
Hyrum Smith "
Page.
The Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet i
Preface i.. iii
The Ripened Time xviii
The Apostasy and the Restoration xix
Joseph Smith at Nauvoo xxiv
The "Choice Seer" xxv
CHAPTER I.
Joseph's Humble Extraction — The Godliness and Fair Fame of
His Ancestry — A Premonition of His Work 1
CHAPTER II.
Birth of Joseph — Family Circumstances — Toil and Povertj 7 —
Removal to New York — Intense Religious Excitement 4
CHAPTER III.
Lie:ht from the Scriptures — The Prayer and its Answer — "This
is my Beloved Son: Hear Him" — Persecution and Scoffing
of the Multitude — Joseph Doubts Himself and Supplicates
for Renewed Help * 7
CHAPTER IV.
The Angel Moroni Visits Joseph Thrice in One Night — A Record
to be brought forth — -vision of Cumorah 12
CHAPTER V.
A Mid-day Visitation — Joseph Confides in His Earthly Father
— Cumorah and the Sacred Box — A New Probation is Fixed —
Successive Visits and Ministrations of the Angel— Joseph's
Growth in Godliness 15
VL CONTENTS.
PAGE.
CHAPTER VI.
Joseph's Willing Toil— Four Years of Waiting— He Finds Work
in Pennsylvania — His Marriage with Emma Hale — The Proba-
tion Completed 19
CHAPTER VII.
Final Visit to Cumorah — Delivery of the Plates by the Angel
Moroni — Solemn Caution to Joseph — Attacks by Assassins
and Robbers — Poverty and Persecution — Help from Mar-
tin Harris — Removal to Pennsylvania 22
CHAPTER VIII.
Joseph Copies and Translates from the Plates — Martin Harris
Aerain Comes Opportunely — -Professor Anthon and the Char-
acters — Martin's Labors as a Scribe — His Broken Trust — The
Translation Lost to Joseph — The Prophet Punished for
Willfulness 27
CHAPTER IX.
Oliver Cowdery is Sent of Heaven to Aid the Prophet — The
Aaronic Priesthood is Brought to Earth by Christ's Fore-
runner — First Baptism of This Dispensation 35
CHAPTER X.
The Prophet's Brother Samuel Baptized by Oliver — Renewed
Danger to the Work — Help From Fayette — Miraculous Inter-
position to Aid David Whitmer — Hyrum Smith and Others
Believe and are Baptized 41
CHAPTER XL
Eleven Chosen Witnesses View the Plates — Their Unimpeachable
Testimony — Restoration of the Melchisedec Priesthood by
Disciples of our Lord— The Apostleship Conferred— Other
Baptisms — The Translation Completed 46
CHAPTER XII.
Organization of the Church at Fayette— Review of the Prophet's
Labors— His Unpretentious Character— The Courage which
Animated Him was shared by his Associates — The Witnesses
and Early Members of the Church 52
CONTENTS. Vll
PAGE.
CHAPTER XIII.
The All-Comprehending Character of Joseph's Inspiration —
First Public Meeting of the Church after Organization —
Believers Asking Baptism — Mobs seeking the Life or the
Liberty of the Prophet — Twice Arrested and Acauitted —
Joseph's Lawyer Hears a Mysterious Voice — Copying the
Revelations GO
CHAPTER XIV.
Dissensions Within the Fold — Oliver Cowdery and Hiram Page
Lead the Whitmer's Astray — Mobs at Colesville and Persecu-
tion at Harmony— Isaac Hale and his Family Oppose Joseph
— The Prophet Removes to Fayette — Prophetic Outline of the
Gathering 70
CHAPTER XV.
The Second Conference of the Church — Harmony and Love
Among the Elders — Accessions to the Congregation — the
Mission to the Lamanites — Individual Revelations — God's
Chosen Servants in Missouri 77
CHAPTER XVI.
Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge Join the Church — Joseph
Commences the TraDslation of the Scriptures — Saints Com-
manded to Gather at Ohio-^Joseph Migrates from New
York— The Kirtland Saints Fall into Error—God's Power
Manifested — Important Revelations 83
CHAPTER XVII.
Fourth General Conference — God Designates Missouri as the Place
of Holding the Next Conference — Transgression of the Thomp-
son Branch — Joseph Goes to the Place of the New Jurusalem 94
CHAPTER XVIII.
On the Borders of the Wilderness — Laying the First Log — Dedi-
cation and Consecration of the Land of Zion and the Temple
Site — Back to Civilization — Sign Seeking and Violence 98
Vlll CONTENTS.
PAGE.
CHAPTER XIX.
A Methodist Priest Converted by a Miracle — Wants Power to
Smite — The Prophet at Hiram Engaged in Translating —
Order for Publication of the "Evening and Morning Star*' —
Man-made Commandments 105
CHAPTER XX.
A Night of Fury — The Murderous Mob at Hiram — Joseph Dragged
from his Bed, and is Stripped, Bruised and Almost Slain by
a Profane and Drunken Crowd Led by Apostates and Sec-
tarian Ministers 113
CHAPTER XXI.
Departure of the Prophet from Hiram for the Consecrated Land
in Missouri — Accepted as the President of the High Priest-
hood — Returning from Zion, an attempt is made to Poison
Him — Saved llnder Bishop Whitney's Administration 117
CHAPTER XXII.
Brigham Young Receives the Gospel — His Memorable Meeting
with the Prophet — His Constant devotion — "That Man will yet
Preside over the Church" — A Revelation on Priesthood —
Joseph Visits the Eastern States — His Numerous Labors —
Prophecy Concerning the Civil War — Its Subsequent Fulfill-
ment 120
CHAPTER, XXIII.
Organization of the School of the Prophets — The Translation of
the Scriptures — The Word of Wisdom Revealed — Joseph
Selects Counselors — The Savior and Angels Appear after the
Ordination — Lands Purchased in and around Kirtland 128
CHAPTER XXIV.
Threats of a Mob of Three Hundred at Independence — Purity
Required of Church Members — Excommunication of Dr. P.
Hurlbert — His Threats Against the Prophet — Pixley Joins the
Mob — His Malicious Falsehoods — Meeting of a Base Element
— Wicked Determinations — Destruction of the Saints' Printing
Establishment — W. W. Phelps Driven from Home — Bishop
Partridge and Elder Allen Tarred and Feathered — "You Must
CONTENTS. IX
PAGE
Leave the Country" — Another Meeting of the Enemy — The
Saints Agree to Leave Jackson County 133
CHAPTER XXV.
The Corner Stone of the Kirtland Temple Laid— A Printing Estab-
lishment Opened — The Prophet's Mission to Canada — A Minis-
ter's Opposition — Baptisms — Persecutions at Kirtland — Wil-
ford Woodruff Receives the Gospel 141
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Jackson County Persecutions — Appeal to Governor Dunklin —
His Timid Reply — Heartless Drivings — A Brutal Murder —
Boggs Allows the Mob to Organize as a Militia — Pitcher Placed
in Command — Certain Men Taken in Custody by the Mob —
Settlement in Clay County— Court of Inquiry 147
CHAPTER XXVII.
Hurlbert's Efforts to Destroy Joseph — High Councils Organized —
The Camp of Zion-7 A Hard Journey — Rattlesnakes in Camp —
The Prophet's Philosophy — Elder Humphrey's Experience 154
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Vain Appeal of the Jackson County Saints for Protection — The
Approach of Zion's Camp — Attempts to Raise an Opposing
Army — James Campbell's Prophecy and its Fulfillment — A
Providential Storm— Remarkable Rise of Fishing River-
Joseph States the Object of Zion's Camp — A Comforting
Revelation 159
CHAPTER XXIX.
The Scourge of Zion's Camp — Joseph and Hyrum Attacked by
Cholera — Their Deliverance — The Camp Disbanded — Threats
Against the Prophet — His Fearlessness — Joseph Returns to
Kirtland — Sylvester Smith's Charge of Impurity — The Prophet
Vindicated— Visit to Michigan— The Law of Tithing 166
CHAPTER XXX.
The Calling of Christ's Apostles in the Last Dispensation of the
Fullness of Times — Duties and Powers of the Twelve — Their
Labors in the World — Organization of the Seventies 175
X CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER XXXI.
Joseph as a Restorer as well as a Prophet — The Book of Abraham
Joseph's Growth into Scholarship and Statesmanship — Diffi-
culties with William Smith 180
CHAPTER XXXII.
Completion and Dedication of the Kirtland Temple — Sublime Visions
to the Saints — The Words of the Divine Redeemer — Joseph's
Grandmother Visits Him, then Dies in Peace — His Mission to
the East 188
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Clay County Sorrowfully Bids the Saints to Migrate into the Wilder-
ness — Joseph Sends a Dignified Letter to the Citizens — Con-
tinuance of Mob Autocracy in Jackson — Dunklin's Helpless-
ness — The Saints Form the New County of Caldwell and Lay
Out Far West 194
CHAPTER XXXIV.
The First Serious Apostasy and the First Great Missionary Move-
ment — -Dissensions at Kirtland, and Successful Labors in
England — Joseph Meets John Taylor in Canada — Trials and
Murderous Mobs at Painesville — The Prophet Wades
Through Swamps in the Night, Carrying Sidney upon his
back 207
CHAPTER XXXV.
John Taylor's Brave Defense of Joseph — The Prophet Encounters
the Spirit of Apostasy in Missouri — Hyrum in the First Presi-
dency — Brigham Young's Courage and Devotion — Joseph
Driven from Kirtland — David W. Patten's Prophetic Objection
— Sad Excommunications — Fate of Prominent Men — Adam-
ondi-Ahman — The Gathering 217
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Peniston Arouses a Mob — His Exciting Speech Causes a Cruel
Attack upon Twelve Unarmed Brethren — One Hundred and
Fifty Mobocrats Drive them from the Polls — Adam Black's
Promise — False Charges Against the Saints — The Sheriff of
Daviess County Arrests Joseph — Boggs Orders the Raising of
CONTENTS. XI
PAGE
the Militia — The Prophet Perceives the Real Object of this
Order 229
CHAPTER XXXVU.
Joseph Volunteers for Trial and Lyman Wight Follows — Beginning
the Study of Law — The Trial Before a Coward Judge, with a
Perjured Witness — Militia Called Out, but the Mob Practically
Defies it — Boggs Continues the Work of Oppression 237
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Bombardment of De Witt' — Appeal of the Saints to Governor
Boggs — His Heartless Reply — Joseph's Presence Encourages
the Brethren — The Saints Leave their Possessions in De Witt
— They go to Far West — Adam-ondi-Ahman Devastated — The
Saints Organize for Defense — Joseph Controls a Mob who De-
sign to Murder Him — Apostasy of Thomas B. Marsh — Death
of David W. Patten — "Whatever you do Else, oh Do Not Deny
the Faith." .'. 245
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Boggs Issues an order of Extermination — General Atchison's
Threat Against the Tyrant — Avard Organizes the Danites —
The Haun's Mill Massacre — Far West Besieged — Three Noble
Ones Refuse to Desertjtheir Friends — Colonel Hinkle's Base
Treachery — "These are the Prisoners I Agreed to Deliver up"
— A Court-martial Sentences Joseph and his Companions to
Death — General Doniphan's Noble Action — Demoniac Deeds
Enacted in Far West 255
CHAPTER XL.
The Prophet's Life Saved by the Vanity of Lucas — Farewell of the
Prisoners to their Families — On Toward Independence — Con-
tinued Ravages at Far West — General Clark's Inhuman Ad-
dress — The Movement Against Adam-ondi-Ahman 202
CHAPTER XLI.
Joseph Preaches in Jackson and Fulfills his own Prophecy — Favor
in the Eyes of their Captors — Drunken Guards — In Rich-
mond Jail — Majesty in Chains — Clark's Dilemma — The mock
Trial— Treason to Believe the Bible— Close of the Year 1838.. 209
Xll CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER XLII.
The Pledge for the Poor Saints in Missouri — Brigham Young
Driven Forth — Efforts to Secure the Prophet's Release — Re-
moval to Gallatin — Examination of the Case by a Drunken
Jury— Wholesale Indictment — Change of Venue to Boone —
— Escape from Missouri to Illinois 281
CHAPTER XLIII.
The Exodus Completed — A Fragment of its Agonies — The Woes
of a Martyr's Widow, a Type of the General Suffering-
Threat that one of Joseph's Prophecies should Fail — But it is
Fulfilled by Courageous Apostles — Missouri's Punishment and
Atonement 291
CHAPTER XLIV.
The Location of Commerce — Nauvoo, the Beautiful — Pity from
Prominent Men in Illinois — A Day of Miracles — The Prophet
Raises the Sick at the Sound of his Voice — Joseph Sounds the
Trump of Warning — The Mission of the Apostles — Their Self-
sacrifice and Courage — Conference at Commerce 300
CHAPTER XLV.
Reasons for an Appeal to Washington — Joseph and Companions
Depart for the National Capital — The Prophet's Act of Physi-
cal Heroism — He sees Ingratitude — Martin Van Buren and
Joseph Smith — The Latter's Scorn — Cowardice and Chicanery
— "Your Cause is Just, but I can do Nothing for you.'' 311
CHAPTER XLVI.
The Mission of the Apostles — Miraculous Opening of their way
to the Old World — Ordination of Willard Richards — Special
Labors of Each Apostle — The First Immigrants to Zion —
Joseph's Letters of Instruction and Comfort to Elders and
Saints Abroad 318
CHAPTER XLVII.
Nauvoo the Beautiful — Events There During the Year 1840 —
Renewal of Outrages by the Missourians — Death of the
Prophet's Father and Edward Partridge — Return of Williams
CONTENTS. Xlll
PAGE
and Phelps — Joseph's Hope for His City — Demand by Gov-
ernor Boggs for the Prophet and His Brethren 325
CHAPTER XLVIIL
Joseph Smith at Nauvoo — His Physical and Mental Personality-
Views of his Opponent Commentators — Testimony of the
Spirit of His Inspiration 334
CHAPTER XLIX.
Dr. J. C. Bennett Joins the Church — Nauvoo City Chartered —
Nauvoo University and Legion Organized — Joseph Smith
Commissioned as Lieutenant-General of the State Militia —
Temple Site — Dedication of the Temple — An Important Con-
ference 355
CHAPTER L.
Joseph's Visit to Governor Carlin at Quincy — Arrest on the Old
Requisition from Missouri — A Sheriff Nursed by his
Prisoner — Judge Douglas Discharges the Prophet on Writ of
Habeas Corpus — Browning's Eloquent Appeal — Death of Don
Carlos Smith — Events at Nauvoo, Closing 1841 367
CHAPTER LI.
The Power of Human Harmony — Changing Hell to Heaven —
Joseph as a Servant — His Sketch of the Church — A Ringing
Editorial — Organization of the Relief Society — Bennett Begins
his Plots 380
CHAPTER LII.
Bennett's Impurities — His Cowardly Stab at the Prophet's Name
and Life — Fellowship Withdrawn from the Evil-doer — Quoting
his own Letters to Injure the Saints — Attempt to Kill Boggs —
Absurd Charges Against "The Mormons" — Joseph's Horse,
"Joe Duncan" — A Prophecy 395
CHAPTER LIII.
The Prophet Charged with being an Accessory to the Attempted
Assassination of Boggs — Orrin Porter Rockwell Accused of
the Crime — The Governor's Requisition — The Arrest — The
Prophet's Desire for Peace — Wilson Law's Brave Words —
XIV CONTENTS.
PAGE.
Emma Smith's Noble Appeal to the Governor — Carlin's False
Reply — Amasa M. Lyman Ordained an Apostle — Three
Hundred and Eighty Faithful Volunteers 401
CHAPTER LIV.
Attempt to Capture Joseph— Reward Offered — Tricks to Entrap
the Prophet— He Submits to Arrest — Visits Governor Ford —
His Examination and Release — A Traitor's Threat 411
CHAPTER LV.
A Breathing Spell— Joseph's Anticipation of his Sacrifice — Many
Prophecies and an Important Theological Epoch in the Early
Part of 1843— Wrestling and Other Manly Sports— Extracts
from his Sermons — Attack on the Nauvoo Charter — The Lull
was Brief 424
CHAPTER LVI.
The Celestial Order of Marriage— Eternity and Plurality of the
Covenant— The Revelation Written and Delivered to the High
Council — Joseph, Hyrum and Others Obey it 436
CHAPTER LVII.
An Evil Quartette— Reynolds, Ford, Bennett and Owens— A New
Writ — Joseph Kidnapped at Dixon and Threatened with
Death— Efforts for Release on Habeas Corpus— & Wrestling
Match— Entry into Nauvoo— Joseph Released— The Kindnap-
pers ask for a Mob Army— Independence Day at Nauvoo 441
CHAPTER LVIIL
Growth of Nauvoo— The Mansion— Sidney Rigdon's Recreancy—
Mobocratic Conventions at Carthage— Inciting the Missourians
to Kidnap— The Prophet Checks a Bombastic Politician-
Appeals for Redress— Joy on a Christmas Day— Orrin Porter
Rockwell Back from Missouri 45 ^
CHAPTER LIX.
Joseph Smith foi President of the United States— An Inspired
Candidate— His Views of the Powers and Policy of the Gen-
CONTENTS. XV
PAGE,
eral Government — How the Country could have Saved the
Carnage of War 466
CHAPTER LX.
Pacific Address by the Prophet — The Mob ask God to Bless their
Work of Massacre — Looking to the West — A Sublime Ser-
mon — Apostates and their Work — Joseph Indicted for
Polygamy 476
CHAPTER LXI.
The First and Only Issue of the Nauvoo "Expositor" — Its
Murderous Purpose — Removal of a Nuisance and Eradication
of its Cause — Trial of the Mayor and Others, and Their
Acquittal in an Honest Court — Gathering of the Mobs —
Threats of Extermination — Nauvoo Under Martial Law 482
CHAPTER LXII.
Joseph's Dream — His Last Public Address — Consciousness of his
Impending Fate — His Love for his Brethren 495
CHAPTER LXII1.
Pontius Pilate Ford's Entrance upon the Scene at Carthage — The
Old Cry of " Crucify! "—Joseph's Final Effort to Avert
Danger from Nauvoo — Lack of Faith and Suspicions of
Cowardice — A Fatal Blindness — Like a Lamb to the Slaughter
— The Arms Demanded — Farewell to Nauvoo — At Carthage.... 501
CHAPTER LXIV.
Voluntary Yielding to Process — Joseph and Hyrum Charged with
Treason — Ford's Cowardice and Falsehood — In Carthage Jail
— The First Day and Night — Preaching to the Guards— Ford
Leaves the Martyrs to their Fate 510
CHAPTER LXV.
Administration of the Holy Endowments — The work of the Clos-
ing Months — Union of Satanic Forces Against the Prophet — A
Momentary Glance at him Before the Final Hour 518
XVI CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER LXVI.
The Last Day — Ford's Action at Nauvoo — Conspiracy Between the
Guards and Murderous Mob Militia — The Prisoners Left to
their Fate — "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" — The Assault
and the Murder— The End 522
Anecdotes and Sayings of the Prophet 531
Appendix 545
The Ripened Time.
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and
hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornica-
tion, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and
the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her
delicacies.
* * * Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins and that ye receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered
her iniquities.
The .Prophecy of John the Revelator.
THE APOSTASY AND THE RESTORATION.
In the reign of Tiberius of Rome, the Lord Jesus was
crucified. At the hour of the atonement, His Gospel was
to the dominant earthly power only u a deadly supersti-
tion, n * "a strange and pestilent superstition,"! sought
to be crushed at any cost by the ruthless power of the
pagan empire. Thus came the persecutions of the early
Christians, lasting until after Christianity, with irresist-
ible power, had "sprung up, even in Rome, the common
reservoir for all the streams of wickedness and infamy."*
In the midst of these early tribulations, the plain and
simple Gospel was becoming involved and mystified by
the many opposing sects which professed to believe in
Jesus; and yet it retained so much of divinity as enabled
it to resist persecution and idolatry, and made it, in the
fourth century, the established religion of Rome.
This elevation was not achieved without some sacri-
fice of identity. And in the commingling with error,
truth yielded much.J
The Roman emperor, Constantine I., was led to show
favor to the unpopular people; but his friendliness to
Christianity demanded and received its price. He sought
as much the welfare of the state as the progress of the
religion to which he had been only in part converted ; and
when he exacted concessions of creed and principle, the
Fathers felt forced to comply. It was Constantine who
called the first Council of Nice. He presided over its
opening session, and dictated its policy in accordance
with his own imperial ambitions. §
From 'that time on, for twelve hundred years, the
Church of Rome grew in lustful power. The first great
check was when the German monk, Martin Luther, with
bared feet, fled in disappointment from the debauched
* Tacitus. t Suetonius.
t Paganism, unable to oppose Christianity successfully, has done much to cor-
rupt it, and in numberless ways had made inroads upon its purity.
Prof. T. M. Lindsay, Glasgow.
§ The interest of the emperor [Constantine] was still [at the Council of Nice]
primarily political and official, rather than personal. TV. Browning Smith.
XX THE APOSTASY AND THE RESTOKAHON.
court of Pope Leo X. Luther's courage partly stripped
the idol of its awe-invoking cloak of mystery and dread
threats; and never more did the whole civilized world
crouch in terror at the feet of Rome.
The freedom of thought heralded by the Reformation,
at last found its abuse in the Age of Reason and the blas-
phemy of the French Revolution. At first rejecting Chris-
tianity for a dream of paganism restored, the infidels, in
turn, exchanged pagan mythology, with its gods many,
for their own new mythology, with its gods none.
This tempest of profane unbelief was too violent to
be enduring. A re- awakening to religious fervor was
manifest in Christendom. Men gladly blotted from their
memories the dread of the auto-da-fe; the inquisition dun-
geons and racks of Spain and Italy, the funeral fires of
England, the witch-hanging and Quaker- driving of the
New World, and all the atrocities sacriligiously practiced
as ceremonies of worship. Mankind turned back by
thousands to find satisfaction for their inherent necessity
— belief in a Higher Power.
But that Higher Power was itself an unfathomable
mystery. God had been misunderstood for centuries.
Much of the world had known nothing of Him — His na-
ture or His purposes — from the death of Christ's Apos-
tles. The men who had known Him walked no more in
the midst of mankind. Prophets and apostles, while they
lived, taught their fellow-men that he was a distinct per-
sonality—a glorious Being in whose likeness mau was
created. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was declared "to
be made like unto his brethren" — "made in the likeness
of men" — and "in the likeness of sinful flesh;" yet in-
spired men claimed Him as being "in the form of God" —
"the express image of His person" — "the image of the
invisible God." But, as generations and centuries
passed, true knowledge concerning the Creator faded
away. A spiritual meaning concerning His personage
and attributes was given to the testimony of those who
THE APOSTASY AND THE RESTORATION. XXI
had known Him. Modern sectarianism taught the world
that God, the Father, of whose person Jesus was the
"express image," was an all-pervading God of spirit — a
Being who, without any tangible existence, is everywhere
in the material world — a Being "without body, parts or
passions," "whose center was nowhere and whose cir-
cumference was everywhere." Professing to have an un-
derstanding of the Deity, they differed but little from the
Pantheists, who, rejecting a personal God, made bold
avowal of an all-existing God of nature — the combined
forces and laws which are manifested in the existing uni-
verse.
Thus blinded, how could mankind offer true worship
to the Lord of heaven and earth?
The Eastern World had lost this knowledge of the
Lord earlier than the Western Hemisphere. Upon the
land of North America, four hundred years after the
birth of our Savior and Master, there stood at least one
man who knew the Lord God Almighty as a distinct per-
sonality, a Being capable of communicating Himself to
man. That man was Moroni, the son of Mormon, whose
testimony abides now and must abide through all the ages
to come.*
It was upon this land that Jesus last appeared to His
brethren who dwelt in mortality ; and it was predestined
that upon this land man was to firsc receive a renewal of
divine revelation . After the discovery of the hemisphere
* Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation, behold, when the Lord
shall come; yea, even that great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a
scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; yea, in that great day when
ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God, then will ye say there is no God ?
Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God?
For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God and
also, the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of
unquenchable fire upon you.
O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in
the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white
having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day.
And again 1 speak unto you. who deny the revelations of God, and say that they
are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor heal-
ing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.
Behold 1 say unto you, he that denieth these things, knoweth not the gospel of
Christ.
For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and in
Him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?
XX11 THE APOSTASY AND THE RESTORATION.
which had been so long concealed from the knowledge of
those who had dwelt upon the other parts of the earth,
nearly three centuries elapsed before a nation with a char-
ter of liberty divinely ordained was established. In God's
providence it was necessary that those who had been led
here by His hand should receive political emancipation to
prepare the way for the restoration of the gospel in its
purity and the Church of Christ in the plenitude of its
power. Political salvation had first been declared, that
men's bodies might be free and their souls be filled with
high aspirations to prepare for the greater enfranchise-
ment and redemption which were to appear.
The period succeeding the Revolution was filled with
a veritable Babel of religious creeds. Every obsolete tra-
dition was revived ; every possible human fancy of doc-
trine was promulgated; and each found its upholding
sect. Confusion and doubt waxed fat, feeding upon
human fears. No earthly wisdom could bring peace to
the sects or make harmony among the creeds.
It became the ripe hour for the Heavens to open and
with their Celestial light show to man the way out of the
abyss into which he had fallen. It became the hour for
the re-establishment of heavenly truth — the Gospel of
Christ and its direct communications between God and
humanity: a religion which should cast off alike the skep-
ticism of "reason" and the shackles of superstition; a
religion which should be bold in righteous faith and con-
vincing in its revealed philosophy. By Divine aid the way
had been paved for this renewal.
For the greater part of eighteen hundred years hu-
manity had been perverting the Gospel of Jesus, the
Anointed.
Then the Eternal Father, and His Son Jesus Christ,
revealed themselves from heaven. This glorious mani-
festation was followed by the angel flying in the midst of
heaven, who proclaimed that the restoration of the Gospel
had come.
Joseph Smith at Nauvoo.
May 15, i844-
It is by no means improbable that some future text-book, for the use
of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this:
What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most
powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no
means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus writ-
ten: JOSEPH SMITH, THE. MORMON PROPHET. And the reply,
absurd as it doubtless seems to most men now living, may be an obvious
commonplace to their descendants. History deals in surprises and para-
doxes quite as startling as this. The man who established a religion in this
age of free debate, who was and is today accepted by hundreds of thous-
ands as a direct emissary from the Most High — such a rare human being
is not to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory epithets.
* * * The most vital questions Americans are asking each other to-
day have to do with this man and what he has left us. * * * Burn-
ing questions they are, which must give a prominent place in the history
of the country to that sturdy self-asserter whom I visited at Nauvoo.
Joseph Smith, claiming to be an inspired teacher, faced adversity such as
few men have been called to meet, enjoyed a brief season of prosperity
such as few men have ever attained, and, finally, forty-three days after I
saw him, went cheerfully to a martyr's death. When he surrendered his
person to Governor Ford, in order to prevent the shedding of blood, the
Prophet had a presentiment of what was before him. "I am going like a
lamb to the slaughter" he is reported to have said; "but I am as calm as
a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense and shall die
innocent"
Josiah QuincVs "Figures of the Past."
THE " CHOICE SEER."
In the day of Jesus, every act and every circum-
stance of His life was ridiculed and belittled by his jealous
enemies. But the record of His career, from which the
present world of Christians makes up its judgment of
Him, was not written until all insignificant or paltry
things had been forgotten; and now His character,
illuminated by the eternal sunshine of heaven, stands
outlined against the blue vastness of the past in sublime
simplicity. Let us view Joseph Smith in the same light —
see him as he towered in the full radiance of his labors ;
see him the reconciler of divergent sects and doctrines,
the oracle of the Almighty to all nations, kindreds,
tongues and peoples.
Joseph Smith had been a retiring youth — the Spirit
made him bold to declare to rulers and potentates and all
mankind, the Gospel again revealed. He had been a
humble farmer lad — Divine authority sat so becomingly
upon him that men looked at him with reverent awe. He
had been unlearned in the great things of art and
science — he walked with God until human knowledge was
to his eye an open book, the Celestial light beamed
through his mind.
His lofty soul comprehended the grandeur of his mis-
sion upon earth ; and with divine fortitude he fulfilled the
destiny which God had ordained for him before the world
was.
When he had achieved the prime of his manhood, he
seemed to combine all attractions and excellencies. His
physical person was the fit habitation of his exalted spirit.
XXVI THE
He was more than six feet in height, with expansive chest
and clean cnt limbs — a staunch and graceful figure. His
head, crowned with a mass of soft, wavy hair, was
grandly poised. His face possessed a complexion of
such clearness and transparency that the soul appeared
to shine through. He wore no beard, and the full
strength and beauty of his countenance impressed all
beholders at a glance. He had eyes which seemed to read
the hearts of men. His mouth was one of mingled power
and sweetness. His majesty of air was natural, not studied.
Though full of personal and prophetic dignity whenever
occasion demanded, he could at other times unbend and
be as happy and unconventional as a boy. This was one
of his most striking characteristics; and it was some-
times held up to scorn by his traducers, that the chosen
1 'man of God" should at times mingle as a man of earth
with his earthly brethren. And yet it is a false ridicule;
for Savior and prophets must, like other men, eat, drink
and wear apparel. They have the physical necessities
and the affections and enjoyments which are common to
other men. And it is this petty human fact — that a divine
apostle with an earthly body has hunger and thirst to
appease, that he cannot always be prophesying, but has
hours to smile with the gay and to weep with th^ saddened
— which leaves him " without honor in his own country."
But whether engaging in manly sport, during hours
of relaxation, or proclaiming words of wisdom in pulpit
or grove, he was ever the leader. His magnetism was
masterful, and his heroic qualities won universal admir-
ation. Where he moved all classes were forced to recog-
nize in him the man of power. Strangers journeying to see
him from a distance, knew him the moment their eyes be-
held his person. Men have crossed ocean and continent to
meet him, and have selected him instantly from among a
multitude.*
* It was the author's privilege to thus meet the Prophet for the first time. The
occasion was the arrival of a large company of Latter-day Saints at the upper land-
THE "CHOICE SEER. 77 XXVU
It was a part of Joseph Smith's great mission u to
combat the errors of ages ; to meet the violence of mobs ;
to cope with illegal proceedings from executive auth-
ority; to cut the Gordian knot of powers; to solve mathe-
matical problems of universities with truth — diamond
truth.' 7 He performed a work, "not pagan ire, nor tooth
of time, nor sword, nor fire, shall bring to naught."
The Prophet's life was exalted and unselfish. His
death was a sealing martyrdom, following after that which
was completed upon Calvary for the redemption of a
world.
ing at Nauvoo. The General Conference of the Church was in session and large
numbers crowded to the landing place to welcome the emigrants. Nearly every
prominent man in the community was there. Familiar with the names of all and
the persons of many of the prominent Elders, the author sought with a boy's
curiosity and eagerness, to discover those whom he knew, and especially to get
sight of the Prophet and his brother Hyrum, neither of whom he had ever met.
When his eyes fell upon the Prophet, without a word from any one to point him
out, or any reason to separate him from others who stood around, he knew him
instantly. He would have known him among ten thousand. There was that about
him, which to the author's eyes, distinguished him from all the men he had ever
seen.
JOSEPH SMITH'S LIFE
AND WORK
Joseph the Prophet.
CHAPTER I.
Joseph's humble extkaction — the godliness and fair
fame of his ancestry — a premonition of his work.
Joseph Smith was of humble birth. His parents and
their progenitors were toilers; but their characters were
godly and their names unstained.
In the year 1638, Robert Smith, a sturdy yeoman of
England, emigrated to the New World, the land of prom-
ise. He settled in Essex County, Massachusetts, and
afterwards married Mary French. The numerous de-
scendants of these worthy people intermarried with man}r
of the staunchest and most industrious families of New
England. Samuel, the son of Robert and Mary, born
January 26th, 1666, wedded Rebecca Curtis, January
25th, 1707. Their son, the second Samuel, was born
January 26th, 1714; he married Priscilla Gould, and was
the father of Asael, born March 7th, 1744. Asael Smith
took to wife Mary Duty, and their son Joseph was born
July 12th, 1771. On the 24th of January, 1796, Joseph
married Lucy Mack, at Tunbridge, in the State of Ver-
mont. She was born July 8th, 1776, and was the. daugh-
ter of Solomon and Lydia Mack, and was the grand-
daughter of Ebenezer Mack.
The men of these two families, Smith and Mack r
through several generations had been tillers of the soil.
2 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
They were devout and generous, measurably prosperous
in a worldly sense, and several of thern were brave and
steadfast soldiers through the early Colonial campaigns
and the Revolutionary struggle.
After the marriage of Joseph Smith with Lucy Mack,
they settled, respected and happy, upon their own farm at
Tunbridge. Here they were successful, financially, for a
few years, until the dishonesty of a trusted friend and
agent robbed them of their surplus means and left them
plunged in debt. They freely sacrificed all of money
value which they possessed, even homestead and Lucy's
treasured marriage portion, and paid every just claim
which w r as held against them. Left thus in absolute pov-
erty, they sought to retrieve their loss of home; and
Tunbridge, where they were known and respected, offered
for a time a prospect of success. Soon afterwards, how-
ever, they removed to Sharon, where Joseph rented a
farm from his father-in-law. This field he diligently tilled
through the summer, and during the winter taught the
village school. Comfort was restored to them; but they
were destined to be still tried and sanctified by the tribu-
lations of life. Honest and industrious, pious and benev-
olent, yet Joseph and Lucy saw themselves and their
children pursued by poverty, illness and the cold neglect
of their fellow-mortals. They repined not at their chast-
enings, but they marveled.
God was teaching the parents the great lesson of
personal humility; and they and their children were learn-
ing how fleeting is earthly wealth and how fallible is mere
human friendship. For the choice seed which is to bring
forth rich and perfect fruit, the Lord Almighty prepares
the soil of His garden.
The paternal grandfather of the Prophet was Asael
Smith, a man of the strongest religious convictions, and
yet a man whose broad humanitarian views were repug-
nant to many of the sectarians of the day. Upon one
occasion, before the Prophet's birth, Asael Smith had a
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 3
premonition that one of his descendants should be a great
teacher and leader of men. To quote his words, as they
are remembered and recorded by one who knew and heard
him speak: "It has been borne in upon my soul that one
of my descendants will promulgate a work to revolution-
ize the world of religious faith."
It is not known if the young Joseph ever learned of
this prophetic declaration, until after his own career had
been made manifest. But Asael lived to see the dawn of the
fulfillment of his words. Just before his death, the Book
of Mormon* then recently printed, was presented to him.
He accepted it, and with the light of inspiration which
sometimes illumines the mind of man as the veil of eter-
nity opens to his gaze, Asael solemnly warned his attend-
ants to give heed to the Book, for it was true, and its
coming forth heralded a renewal of the Gospel light.
CHAPTER II.
BIRTH OF JOSEPH — FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES — TOIL AND POV-
ERTY — REMOVAL TO NEW YORK — INTENSE RELIGIOUS
EXCITEMENT.
The circumstances and surroundings of the elder Joseph
were of the humblest, when unto his house was born, on
the 23rd of December, 1805, Joseph, the Prophet of the
Last Dispensation. The family were still living in the
little town of Sharon, in Windsor County, Vermont; and
were, at the time, greatly impoverished. Very early,
therefore, was the future Prophet compelled to learn the
lessons of labor, patience and self-denial. The father
was striving, with every faculty, to repair his shattered
fortunes, that he might educate his children and provide
for their comfort and well-being; but successive disasters
consumed his little savings. After a time, he removed
from Sharon, and later, in 1815, left the State of Vermont,
locating at Palmyra, Ontario County, New York; in which
place and the adjoining town of Manchester, whither the
family moved four years afterward, they dwelt for several
years. Here they engaged in clearing land and farming,
the boys, including the young Joseph, giving their con-
stant aid to the family work. With the severest toil they
could only compass a frugal mode of life. But they
wasted no time in useless repining. They were able to
pay their obligations, to maintain their honest name, to
live in happiness, and to devote some hours of each week
to the rudimentary education of the younger children.
The offspring of Joseph and Lucy Smith, with the
dates and places of their birth, are named as follow:*
*See Note 1, Appendix.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 5
Alvin, born February 11th, 1798, at Tunbridge, Ver-
mont.
Hyrum, born February 9th, 1800, at Tunbridge, Ver-
mont.
Sophronia, born May 18th, 1803, at Tunbridge, Ver-
mont.
Joseph, born December 23rd, 1805, at Sharon, Ver-
mont.
Samuel, born March 13th, 1808, at Tunbridge, Ver-
mont.
Ephraim, born March 13th, 1810, at Royalton, Ver-
mont.
William, born March 13th, 1811, at Royalton, Ver-
mont.
Catherine, born July 8th, 1812, at Lebanon, New
Hampshire.
Don Carlos, born March 25th, 1816, probably at Pal-
myra, New York.
Lucy, born July 18th, 1821, probably at Palmyra,
New York.
The first quarter of the nineteenth century was a time
of intense religious excitement, and New York and sur-
rounding states were the scenes of many revivals and
much strife. Not only among preachers and exhorters
was the enthusiasm manifested, but the people themselves
became much exercised over their sinful condition, and
ran here and there in a wild search for the salvation for
which their souls seemed to yearn. The movement origi-
nated with the Methodists; but it soon spread to other
sects in the neighborhood, until the whole region was
infected by it, and the greatest excitement was created, in
which all the good effects of a revival were swallowed up in
bitter contests of opinions and the strife of words between
the adherents of the various creeds.
The Smith family inclined towards the Presbyterian
faith, and the mother, two sons and a daughter united
themselves with that church. Joseph was at the time in
6 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
his fifteenth year — just at an age, with his limited experi-
ence, he might be deemed most susceptible to the example
of others. He listened and considered, yet could not pro-
fess the faith of his family. The clergymen of other
sects assailed him; but although he became somewhat
partial to the Methodist creed, their soft words and dire-
ful threats were alike unavailing. The tempest could not
reach the depths of the boy's nature. Unknown to him-
self he was awaiting the hour when the divine message
should stir the waters of his soul.
CHAPTER III.
LIGHT FROM THE SCRIPTURES — THE PRAYER AND ITS ANSWER
— "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON: HEAR HIM" — PERSECU-
TION AND SCOFFING OF THE MULTITUDE — JOSEPH DOUBTS
HIMSELF AND SUPPLICATES FOR RENEWED HELP.
Joseph was earnest beyond his years; but he was not of a
nature to become a prey to morbid feelings. He was nei-
ther terrified by the awful threats of the revivalists into a
ready acceptance of their dogmas, nor driven by their
divisions and strife into unbelief in revealed religion.
The all-absorbing question with him was: Which of these
churches is the church of Christ? Under the influence of
his great desire to know the truth and the correct path
which led to salvation, he made a thoughtful analysis of
the proffered creeds. Can it be wondered at that he was
bewildered in the labyrinth of paths, each of which
claimed to be the heavenly way? When at divers times he
thought of uniting himself with some one of the churches,
his further investigation each time revealed some false
mysteries. Dissatisfied with their claims and pretensions,
and conscious of his own want of knowledge and how
easily he might err in a matter of such vital and eternal
importance, he was led to seek for guidance from a right-
eous source. He had recourse to the word of God.
Searching the scriptures for comfort and light, one
happy and most fortunate moment he read these sacred
words :
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
that giveth to all men libeially, and upbraideth not; and
it shall be given him."
Like a flash of sunlight through lowering clouds, the
8 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
import of a mighty truth burst upon Joseph's mind. He
had been vainly asking help from men who had answered
him out of their own darkness. He determined now to
seek assistance from God. A modest fear might suggest:
Who was he that he should dare to approach the great
Creator's throne? But there was the plain promise. He
could not doubt it, without doubting his Maker. He felt-
that he lacked wisdom; and to such as he, asking of
God, there was the divine pledge to hear and give without
upbraiding.
It was one morning in early springtime of the year
1820, that Joseph felt the earnest prompting and adopted
the holy resolve. He walked into the depths of a wood,
which stood near his home, and sought a little glade-
There, in trembling humility, but with a faith which
thrilled his soul — alone, unseen of man, he fell upon his
knees and lifted his voice in prayer to God. While he
was calling upon the Almighty, a subtle and malignant
power seized him and stilled his utterance. Deep dark-
ness enveloped him; he felt that he was in the grasp of
Satan, and that the destroyer was exerting all the power
of hell to drag him to sudden destruction, yai his agony
he called anew upon the Lord for deliverance; and at the
moment when he seemed to be sinking under the power
of the evil one, the deep gloom was rolled away and he
saw a brilliant light. A pillar of celestial fire, far more
glorious than the brightness of the noon-day sun, ap-
peared directly above him. The defeated power fled with
the darkness; and Joseph's spirit was free to worship and
marvel at his deliverance. Gradually the light descended
until it rested upon him; and he saw, standing above him
in the air, enveloped in the pure radiance of the fiery pil-
lar, two personages of incomparable beauty, alike in
form and feature, and clad alike in snowy raiment. Sub-
lime, dazzling, they filled his soul with awe. At length,
One, calling Joseph by name, stretched His shining arm
towards the other, and said:
joseph the prophet. 9
4 'This is my beloved Son; hear Him!"
As soon as Joseph could regain possession of himself,
to which he was encouraged by the benign and comfort-
ing look of the Son, and by the heavenly bliss which
pervaded his own soul, he found words to ask, which of
all the multitude of churches upon the face of the globe
had the gospel of Christ; for up to this time it had never
entered his mind to doubt that the true church of the
Lamb, pure and undefiled, had an existence somewhere
among men. But the answer came that no one of the
creeds of earth was pure, and that Joseph must unite
himself with none of them. Said the glorious Being:
"They draw near me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from me; they teach for doctrine the com-
mandments of men, having a form of godliness, but
they deny the power thereof."
Even in the transport of his vision, Joseph felt
amazed at the instruction. But the Heavenly Personages
continued to commune with him, and repeated Their
command that he should not ally himself with any of the
man-made sects. Then They and Their enclosing pillar of
light passed from his gaze, and he was left to look into
the immensity of space.
The boy's faith in the promises of God had now deep-
ened into knowledge. He had been assailed by the power
of evil, until it seemed he must succumb — that the limit
of human endurance was passed. And in that instant of
deepest despair, he had been suddenly transported into
the blaze of celestial light. He had seen with his own
eyes the Father and the Son, with his own ears he had
heard Their eternal voice. Over this untaught youth at
least, the Heavens were no longer as brass. He had
emerged from the maze of doubt and uncertainty in which
he had so long groped, and had received positive assur-
ances on the matter nearest his heart from Him, whom to
know was anciently declared to be life eternal.
Emboldened, satisfied, and happy beyond expression,
Joseph's first thought was of his loved ones. He must
10 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
impart the glorious truth to them. His parents aud his
brethren listened, and were lost in awe at his straightfor-
ward recital. He next sought his old friends the minis-
ters, those who had affected such an interest in his wel-
fare and who would iiave so willingly acted as his guides
toward heaven. His first experience with these gentle-
men was somewhat discouraging. A Methodist preacher
who had formerly cultivated the utmost friendship, and
who probably had acquired considerable influence with
him, was soon informed by Joseph of the Heavenly man-
ifestation. The pious man treated the communication
with contempt, and curtly replied that there were no
such things as visions or revelations in these days,
they having ceased with the Apostles, and that the whole
thing was of the Devil. Other ministers, and in fact the
religious portion of the entire neighborhood, as the event
became more widely known, united in the determination
to overwhelm with ridicule and abuse that which they
found themselves unable to silence by argument.
Joseph had been a great favorite among his neigh-
bors, his gentle ways had made him beloved by all; he
now was hated and reviled. He had been especially
sought after by the clergy because of his diligence, ear-
nestness and humility in striving to secure the grace of
God; he now was stigmatized as a dissolute dreamer, a
worthless knave and an art ant hvpocrite A boy of four-
teen is seldom the object of universal conversation and
comment in his locality; yet this youth's enemies did not
rest short of lifting him to an eminence where he could
the better be seen and scorned of all men.
His family were made to share the vindictiveness and
contumely exhibited toward him w T hich at last reached
such a pitch that an attempt was actually made to assas
sinate him. The family, on hearing the report of the
gun, rushed from the house only to find the marks made
by the crouching murderer at the side of the path, and
the leaden missiles embedded a short distance from the
spot.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 11
But persecution, slander and cruel outrage were
all unable to change the steadfast testimony of Joseph.
Three years passed away, during which time he was true
to his trust through toil and poverty, through scorn and
tribulation. The heavens no more opened to his view in
this trying period; but the youth, who was fast maturing
— growing in strength and understanding — was able to
show the staunchness of his nature while he waited in
patience and humility for the additional light which he
had been led to expect.
Yet Joseph was human, with human loves and human
wants. He sorrowed to find himself and his kindred cast
off by all their old associates, and he at times was forced
into the society of persons who made few or no preten-
sions to religion.
Doubless the avowed infidels and unbelievers, whom
he thus occasionally met, were no more lacking in genuine
purity than were the self-righteous enthusiasts who
shunned him except when they could devise some means
for persecution and torture. But he had not yet learned to
justly weigh the virtues and failings of others; and often
he reproached himself with sinfulness because of his
enforced associations. His quick conscience was apt to
exaggerate every youthful foible, and he regarded many
of his acts of thoughtlessness as offenses at which the
Heavens must frown.
At last he felt the imperative need of light and help
from the source whence flows all truth. He acknowl-
edged that he had fallen into many foolish errors and
youthful weaknesses ; and he prayed without ceasing for
the pardon of every wrong which y?e had done. He plead
earnestly that he might gain greater knowledge for his
guidance, and asked for a manifestation, from which he
might know concerning his state and standing before
the Lord. Despite his own self-accusation, the answer to
his prayer proves that his probationary period had been
passed satisfactorily to the Heavens and that he was still
unstained by any dark offense.
CHAPTER IV.
THE ANGEL MORONI VISITS JOSEPH THRICE IN THE NIGHT —
A RECORD TO BE BROUGHT FORTH — VISION OF CUMORAH.
It was on the night of the 21st of September, in the year
1823, that Joseph, having retired to his humble room, in-
voked an answer to his petition uijto the Lord. While
lying upon his bed thus seeking with all the power of his
spirit, the usual darkness of the room began to fade away
and a spreading glory appeared, which increased until the
room was lighter than at noonday. In the midst of this
light, which was most brilliant around his person, stood a
radiant being, whose countenance was more bright than
vivid lightning and was marvelously lovely. He seemed
of greater stature than an ordinary man and moved and
stood without touching the floor. He was clothed in a
robe of intense and dazzling whiteness, far exceeding
anything of an earthly character; and his hands and
wrists and feet and ankles, as well as his head and neck,
were bare. The glorious personage stood at Joseph's
bedside; and to the awed youth, in a voice of tenderness
and comfort, calling Joseph by name, the angel an-
nounced himself to be a messenger from the presence of
the Almighty, and that his name was Moroni. The holy
visitor then proceeded to unfold some of the grand pur-
poses of the Lord. He said that through. Joseph, God's
power and kingdom were to be restored to earth; that
Joseph's name should go out to all nations, kindred and
tongues, to be blessed by the pure reviled by the unholy
— that it should be both good and evil spoken of among
all people; that in the fulfillment of this mission, Joseph
would be led to a hill, where was buried an ancient record
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 13
engraved upon plates of gold, which record was a history
of the nations that had inhabited the American continent,
and furthermore contained the fulness of the Gospel as
given during the administration of Jesus on this land. He
said that with the plates were hidden two sacred stones,
set in a bow of silver fastened to a breastplate, and called
Urim and Thummim, by the possession and use of which,
men in ancient times had become seers, and by means of
which, aided by the inspiration of Heaven, Joseph also
would become a seer and be able to read and translate the
engraven record.
While the angel was thus speaking, Joseph was ena-
bled in vision to see clearly and distinctly the holy hill
and its environs, and the particular spot upon* the hillside
where the plates were held in silent trust. Moroni re-
sumed his teachings, saying that the hour had not yet
come for the translation of the record, but Joseph must
prepare his mind by prayer and thought for the exalted
duties and blessings which awaited him ; and he most
solemnly warned the youth, on penalty of sure destruc-
tion, against showing the hidden treasures to anyone ex-
cept by commandment of God. Before taking his leave,
the angelic messenger rehearsed much of ancient proph-
ecy relating to the restoration of all holiness, the second
coming of our Savior and His dominion upon earth; he
explained many scriptural utterances; and of the wicked
and unbelieving blasphemies, he spoke in such a sorrow-
ful yet terrible voice that these words seemed to still the
beating of the listener's heart:
"FOR BEHOLD, THE DAY COMETH THAT SHALL BURN AS
AX OVEN; AND ALL THE PROUD, YEA AND ALL THAT DO
WICKEDLY SHALL BURN AS STUBBLE ! "
Among many commands and promises, Moroni gave
this assurance from the Lord to Joseph ;
"Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood
by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the com-
ing of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."
14 JOSEPH THK PROPHET.
As the angel ceased to speak, all the light of the room
gathered to his person. Above him all earthly things
seemed moved away and a shining pillar was stretching
heavenward. With a look of hope and blessing upon the
youth, Moroni ascended; and when he disappeared, dark-
ness again fell about the bedside.
Powerful emotions crowded upon Joseph's mind as
he recalled the things which had been revealed to him.
And while he yet pondered, once more Moroni came and
stood in a blazing glory and repeated solemnly the heav-
enly lessons to the listening youth, adding that great
judgments were coming upon the earth, and that grievous
desolations should be poured out during this present gen-
eration.
Again Moroni ascended as before; and yet for the
third time he returned to repeat the message of which he
was the bearer. The solemn instructions were once
more given, and with them a special warning concerning
the plates of gold- and the sacred stones. He told
Joseph that by reason of the poverty of himself and
family, Satan would try to tempt him to use them for the
purpose of getting rich, and that if he had any other mo-
tive than the glory of God, they would be withheld. Many
hours had passed in this communion, and when the heav-
enly ambassador disappeared for the third time, Joseph
heard the birds of the air heralding the coming of the
dawn.
CHAPTER V.
A MID -DAY VISITATION — JOSEPH CONFIDES IN HIS EARTHLY
FATHER— CUMORAH AND THE SACRED BOX — NEW PRO-
BATION IS FIXED — SUCCESSIVE VISITS AND MINISTRA-
TIONS OF THE ANGEL — JOSEPH'S GROWTH IN GODLI-
NESS.
At his usual hour of arising, Joseph left his bed, and ac-
cording to his custom went to labor in the field. The
experiences of the night had swept all color from his face.
His mind was filled with thoughts unutterable, and his
attention was fixed beyond his earthly toil. His father
observed that the boy seemed weak, and acted strangely,
and told him to go home. Joseph started from the field
towards the house, but on his way, in attempting to cross
a fence, he sank helpless to the earth. He was recalled
from a partial swoon by a voice which gently spoke his
name. He looked up and saw the same glorious messen-
ger standing above his head, clothed about with an efful-
gence which eclipsed the splendor of the noonday sun.
Once more the angel told the truths of the night
before, with their commands and warnings, and he in-
structed Joseph to return to his father, and impart to him
that which he had learned of the purposes of God. He
obeyed at once, and standing there in the harvest field,
related to his father all that had passed. The inspiration
of heaven rested upon the elder Joseph as he heard the
lad's words; and when the account was finished, he said
"My son, these things are of God; take heed that you
proceed in all holiness to do His will."
Having the consent and blessing of his earthly father,
Joseph departed to visit the hill. And now, within a few
16 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
hours of its utterance, was one of the angel's predictions
fulfilled. During the journey of two or three miles beyond
Manchester toward the hill which had been pointed out to
him in vision, Joseph was made to feel within him the
striving of two invisible powers. On the one hand, the
evil one presented alluring prospects of worldly gain from
the possession of the plates of gold — on the other, the
better influence whispered that the record was sacred and
must only be used for the glory of God and the fulfillment
of His purposes. In this frame of mind he approached
the spot which he had seen in vision. It was on the
west side and near the top of a hill which stood higher
than any other in that neighborhood.* He easily recog-
nixed the exact place which held the holy treasure; and
upon reaching it, he saw the rounded top of a stone peep-
ing from the ground, while all the edges were encased in
the earth. He speedily moved the surface soil, and with
the aid of a lever raised the stone, which proved to be
the covering of a rock cavity or box. Into this box he
looked, and found that it did indeed contain the promised
plates of gold and the Urim and Thummim.
Joseph could see that the box had been fashioned by
cementing stones together to form the bottom" and sides ;
while the rock which he had lifted away, beveled thin at
the edges but thick and rounded at the center, had foimed
a close-fitting cover to the sacred receptacle. Within and
across each end of the bottom of the box lay a stone; and
upon these the plates and other treasures rested.
Carried away for a moment by admiration and his
eager desire to learn further, Joseph stretched forth his
hands to remove the records, but instantly the messenger
was by his side and stayed his touch. Moroni informed
him that four years must elapse before he could be per-
mitted to hold and examine the contents of the box; in
the meantime he must prove faithful as he had proved in
* See Xote 2, Appendix.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 17
the past, and on each succeeding anniversary of that
day, during the intervening years, he must appear at the
spot to view the sacred records, renew his covenants and
be instructed from the Lprd.
Many precious truths the angel now imparted to him :
telling him that he, Moroni, while yet living, had hidden
up the plates in the hill, four centuries after Christ, to
await their coming forth in the destined hour of God's
mercy to man; that he, Moroni, was the son of Mormon,
a prophet of the ancient Nephites, who had once dwelt on
this land; that to the Nephites this sacred hill was known
as Cumorah, and to the Javedites (who had still more an-
ciently inhabited this continent) , as Eamah; and much
more did he impart to Joseph concerning the mysteries of
the past, and the future purposes of Almighty God in the
redemption of fallen mankind.
Then the kingdom of Heaven, in all its majesty, and
the dominion of the Prince of darkness, in all its terror,
were brought to Joseph's vision, and Moroni said:-
4 'All this is shown, the good and the evil, the
holy and the impure, the glory of god and the
power of darkness, that you may know hereafter the
two powers, and never be influenced or overcome by
that wicked one."
Joseph restored the cover to the box and replaced the
earth; and when the Heavenly messenger had ended the
counsel and disappeared, the youth again sought his
home, marveling greatly at the goodness and infinite
power of his Creator.
Happily for the comfort of the chosen Prophet, at
this hour he met help within the family circle. He im-
parted to his parents and the older children all that he
had been empowered to reveal ; and their understanding
and faith were quickened to the acceptance of the truth.
They learned to know of a surety that God had spoken
and that Joseph must obey.
On each recurrence of the twenty-second day of Sep-
18 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
tember during the next three years, Joseph visited the
hill Cumorah. Each time he opened the box, viewed
its precious contents, and then restored the hiding place
to its former appearance. Each time, the messenger vis-
ited him on that consecrated spot; chastening him to
patience, exacting anew a covenant of self-sacrificing
fidelity to the trust, and extending the counsels and in-
structions pertaining to the re- establishment, at the proper
hour, of the Church of Christ upon the earth.
This continued communion wrought God's purpose
with Joseph. It gave him a comprehension of the destiny
of man, both earthly and eternal; unfolding to his view
the progression of his race, from heaven through the pro-
bation of this world and back to the judgment seat of
Omnipotence. It filled him with a burning zeal, and a
higher wisdom than that taught in the schools began to
expand his intellect; he was learning the sublime princi-
ple of just government; he was being fitted to become the
instrument to re-establish the Church which should endure
until the coming of Christ to reign therein in glory. Out
of His all-compassing power, the Lord gave to this un-
learned youth, from year to year, knowledge according
to the hour of his need; and the bestowal of this heav-
enly wisdom was continued to Joseph through all the
vicissitudes of the mortality which culminated in that
awful day at Carthage.
CHAPTER VI.
Joseph's willing toil — four years of waiting — he
finds work in pennsylvania — his marriage with
emma hale — the probation completed.
When Joseph first stood upon the sacred hill Cumorah,
he was in his eighteenth year. The time in which the
human character most strongly assumes its shaping was
to be with him the ensuing four years.
Wondrous as had been the vision of the host of
Heaven and the ranks of Lucifer; exalting as were the
communications from the Lord; mighty as was to be the
mission of translation; yet Joseph had day by day the
humble labors of life to perform. Without a murmur he
accepted his lot of toil, working with his hands to aid in
the family maintenance, while his mind was busy with
eternal truths. There is always a heroism in the honest,
uncomplaining home-toil of youth: a necessary heroism,
indeed, for without the early-formed habit of industry for
man, the Almighty's purposes concerning mankind would
fail. And that heroism is doubly beautiful in the life of
Joseph, who knew already his destiny, divinely ordained.
Left much to itself in the selfishness of earth, a weaker
or an unsustained soul would have wasted its powers in
vain dreamings or found its destruction in pride and self-
glory.
The sweat of the face, therefore, was at once a neces-
sity and a salutation: a requisite for the family welfare
and comfort; a protection from enervating dreams. No
husbandman of all that neighborhood was more industri-
ous than he; and, except for the hatred bred against him
by false teachers and their followers, no one would have
had a better reputation.
20 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
As the younger sons of the family grew into vigor,
the small farm and the home duties less exacted the dili-
gence of Joseph; and when an opportunity came, in his
twentieth year, for remunerative employment at a dis-
tance, he willingly accepted the offer. The engagement
carried him to Susquehanna County, State of Pennsylva-
nia, where the employer, Josiah Stoal, though dwelling
in New York State, had some property upon which Joseph
worked, while he boarded at the neighboring house of
Mr. Isaac Hale. Stoal conceived the idea that there were
signs of a silver deposit in his land, and he put his farm-
ing men to the work of mining. It was soon evident that
he had become infatuated with the hope of achieving sud-
den and extraordinary wealth and was squandering his
means in a pursuit which gave no promise of an adequate
return. Joseph, who had become a favorite with Mr.
Stoal because of industry and good judgment, remon-
strated with him, and finally influenced him to withdraw
from his sordid and fruitless project.
Isaac Hale had a daughter, Emma, a good girl of high
mind and devout feelings. This worthy young woman
and Joseph formed a mutual attachment, and her father
was requested to give his permission to their marriage.
Mr. Hale opposed their desire for a time, as he was pros-
perous while Joseph's people had lost their property; and
it was on the 18th day of January, 1827, the last year of
waiting for the plates, before Joseph and Emma could
accomplish their desired union. On that day they were
married by one Squire Tarbill, at the residence of that
gentleman, in South Bainbridge, in Chenango County,
New York. Immediately after the marriage, Joseph left
the employ of Mr. Stoal and journeyed with his wife to
his parental home at Manchester, where during the suc-
ceeding summer, he worked to obtain means for his fam-
ily and his mission. The time was near at hand for the
great promise to be fulfilled and for his patience and
faithfulness to be rewarded.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 21
As the hour approached for the delivery of the an-
cient record into his hands, Joseph prayed earnestly for
humility and strength. He had not failed in any of his
prescribed visits to Cumorah. Even when at work in
Pennsylvania, he had obtained temporary release that he
might journey to the hill and meet his Heavenly teacher.
His wife, his parents and brethren were made partic-
ipants in his hopes, and they added their faith to his, and
gave their hearty support to his labor and preparation.
The 21st day of September, 1827, completed the
fourth year since Moroni first appeared at Joseph's bed-
side, and the occasion was deemed a fitting hour for
prayer and thanksgiving. In that humble home God's
chosen servant and his kindred offered their adoration to
the beneficent Father. It was also a time for the review
of the trying years since the call first came to Joseph.
The family had remained in honest lowliness, unmoved by
the assaults and ridicule of the world. Alvin, the eldest
son of Joseph and Lucy, had died on the 19th of Novem-
ber, 1824, with a firm belief in the coming of the New
Dispensation and with words of comfort and blessing for
his brother Joseph upon his lips. The faithful Hyrum,
like Joseph, was happily wed. And the younger children
were nearly all at years of understanding.
Quiet came with the darkness, and peace dwelt upon
the house and by the pillows of this devoted family. I The
tranquility of the night was long remembered, for it was
almost the last time they had on earth in unfearing and
undisturbed enjoyment of each other's society.
CHAPTER VII.
FINAL VISIT TO CUMORAH — DELIVERY OF THE PLATES BY
^ THE ANGEL MORONI— SOLEMN CAUTION TO JOSEPH —
ATTACKS BY ASSASSINS AND ROBBERS — POVERTY AND
PERSECUTION — HELP FROM MARTIN HARRIS — REMOVAL
TO PENNSYLVANIA.
For the fifth time Joseph stood by the place of deposit
of the stone box and its precious contents, which for
fourteen centuries had remained concealed from human
vision and undisturbed by mortal hand. It was the morn-
ing of the twenty-second day of September, in the year
of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-
seven. For the last time he removed the soil and lifted
the stone cover, while he prayed that he might be as
faithful to his trust as had been the inanimate hillside.
The angel of the Lord was at his side and bade him
stretch forth his hands and take from their long hiding
place the Urim and Thummim and the record.
Joseph touched them and his being was thrilled with
a divine joy. He lifted them to the surface and exam-
ined their beauty.
The Urim and Thummim was as the angel had de-
scribed it — two precious stones set in an arch of silver
which was fastened to an ancient breastplate of pure gold,
curiously wrought. The breastplate was concave on one
side and convex on the other, and seemed to have been
made for a man of greater stature than is ordinaiy in
modern days. Four golden bands were fastened to it,
for the purpose of attaching it to the person of its wearer
— two of the bands being for the shoulders, the others for
the waist or hips.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 23
The plates, also of gold, were of uniform size; each
was slightly less in thickness than a common sheet of tin
and was about eight inches in width ; and all were bound
together by three rings, running through one edge of the
plates. Thus secured, they formed a book about six
inches in thickness. A part of the volume, about one-
third, was sealed; the other leaves Joseph turned with
his hand. They were covered on both sides with strange
characters, small and beautifully engraved.
Moroni instructed Joseph that he must not attempt
to open that part of the book which was sealed, for the
hour had not come wherein it was destined to be made
known; but in God's accepted time he would bring that
portion of the record to the knowledge of His children.
Then the angel repeated all that he' had formerly said in
advice and blessing. Joseph was told that the Lord ex-
pected him to shield the record from profane touch and
sight, even with his life, until his work of translation
should be completed and the plates restored to the hands
of Moroni; that all the former guardians had relinquished
their trust and he alone would be held accountable for
their safety; that efforts would be made to rob him of the
holy writings, but if he proved faithful the Heavens
would give their aid to his support and he would come off
triumphant. And he was finally and solemnly warned
that if he should betray his mission he must be cut off
and destroyed.
With a crowning promise to Joseph that he should
not be left to grope in darkness, and that upon the
conclusion of the labor of translation, the angel would
visit him and again receive the plates, Moroni disap-
peared, and the Pkophet of the Last Dispensation
stood alone upon Cumorah, clasping to his bosom the
priceless trust.
Joseph folded the golden record of past generations
beneath his mantle and sped homeward. The words of
Moroni had been prophetic; three different times in the
24 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
brief journey to his house, the chosen minister of salva-
tion was assailed by unknown men — emissaries of the
evil one, who sought to strike him to the earth and
rob him of his precious charge. Once they dealt him
a terrific blow with a bludgeon, but he did not fall.
He was a man of rare physical endowments, yet on
this occasion his own strength and activity, without
the help of the Lord, would not have delivered him
or been sufficient to cast his assailants one by one
prone in the dust with the irresistible force which he
used against them.
With the plates unharmed, but himself bruised, and
panting from the contest, Joseph reached his home.
After this important hour the powers of darkness ar-
rayed all their subtle and murderous influences against
him. Abominable falsehoods were cunningly circulated
against himself and his father's family, the purpose being
to excite the rage of the populace against them. Con-
stantly the Prophet's life was beset by assassins; the
sacred record was sought by robbers. Each hour brought
some new menace. Men, lurking by his pathway, dis-
charged deadly weapons at his person; and mobs attacked
him and invaded his home. Wherever the plates were
supposed to be hidden, there were the despoilers breaking
through bolts and walls. Open force failing, subtle strat-
agems were devised for the destruction of the Prophet's
life and the abstraction of the plates.
• These numerous efforts all failed to accomplish the
ends at which they were aimed. But they prevented
Joseph from obtaining the safe leisure necessary for his
labor of translation. Anxious to pursue his heaven-ap-
pointed work without the interruption of these continued
attacks, he was led to the idea of removing from Man-
chester. Personal fear was not an element of his nature,
and no selfish motive prompted his resolve; but in no
other visible manner could his sacred instructions be ful-
filled. The home of Emma's parents in Susquehanna
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 25
County, Pennsylvania, was the place which he selected,
and thither he determined to journey.
Poverty seemed, however, to present an insurmount-
able barrier; but it was suddenly removed. Martin Har-
ris, a prosperous and respected farmer of Wayne County,
New York, and who was destined in the providence of
God to 1 afterwards fill an important part in connection
with the divine record, was inspired to come to Joseph
with a free offer of help. By the aid thus extended, the
Prophet was able to take his departure to Manchester,
carrying with him his wife and the sacred plates. As
Joseph and Mary were warned to flee with the infant
Jesus into Egypt to escape the destruction which Herod
had planned, so the Prophet was led to seek another
place of residence for the performance of his labor.
But Satan was not idle. Twice while on the journey
was the servant of God stopped by officers, who, under a
pretended warrant of law, searched his wagon for the
plates. But the Angel of the Lord blinded the eyes of
the wicked and they found not what they sought.
It was in the month of December, 1827, when Joseph
reached the house of Isaac Hale in Pennsylvania; and
without delay he began his inspired work of translation
by the aid of the seer stones.
It may seem strange and unaccountable that such ex-
traordinary efforts should be made to destroy this young
man and to get possession of the plates with which he
had been entrusted. But his whole life from this time
forward until he sealed his testimony with his blood was
filled with incidents of the most remarkable character.
The words of the angel were that God had a work for
Joseph to do, and that his name should be had for good
and evil among all nations, kindreds and tongues; or
that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all
people; and they were fulfilled to the letter. No man of
this generation was so passionately loved; no man was so
cruelly hated. Satan knew that if the work' of which God
26 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
had chosen him to be the founder on the earth should
prevail, his power and dominion should be overthrown.
Against this Prophet, therefore, the profoundest depths of
hell were stirred up. While he lived he was the target at
which the most deadly shafts of Satan were directed. For
the succeeding sixteen or seventeen years from the time
of which we write his steps were beset by peril. Violence
and murder lurked in his pathway. He was never free
from menace. Through his life he enjoyed peace, but it
was the peace that came from above and not that which
arises from auspicious surroundings and undisturbed
quiet. He was a happy man; but his happiness was
never due to worldly favor or popularity. God had en-
dowed him with a buoyancy of spirit and a strength of
faith that the most deadly opposition and the most threat-
ening difficulties could not repress; with a courage which,
in the midst of brutal mobs howling for his blood, never
faltered or was quenched. His was a stormy career; but
he was amply qualified for it. As he himself said on one
occasion:
And as for perils which I am called to pass through,
they seem but a small thing to me, as the envy and
wrath of man have been my common lot' all the days
of my life, and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless
I was ordained from before the foundation of the world
for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it.
Judge ye for yourselves. God knoweth all these things
whether it be good or bad. But nevertheless, deep water
is what I am wont to swim in. It has all become a second
nature to me, and I feel like Paul, to glory in tribulation,
for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me
out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for
behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for
the Lord God hath spoken it.
CHAPTER VII.
JOSEPH COPIES AND TRANSLATES FROM THE PLATES — MAR-
TIN HARRIS AGAIN COMES OPPORTUNELY — PROFESSOR
ANTHON AND THE CHARACTERS — MARTIN'S LABOR AS A
SCRIBE — HIS BROKEN TRUST — THE TRANSLATION LOST
TO JOSEPH — THE PROPHET PUNISHED FOR WILFULNESS.
Joseph's first labor with the plates was in obedience to
the general command given to him through Moroni. The
particular means by which the translation was to be
effected and given to the world had not been made known ;
and this young, untaught, impoverished man was at that
hour unable, within his own resources of education and
purse, to arrange for the consummation of the work. He
devoted every available moment, however, to his sacred
task, constantly praying to the Almighty for aid ; and
yet the progress was slow.
In every step which Joseph took as the chosen mes-
senger of God, human struggle and sacrifice, to overcome
perplexing difficulties and delays, seemed necessary. In
this way more than any other Was he taught a patient
trust, and was sanctified for the exalted destiny which
awaited him. Though he had been instructed by Moroni
that Jehovah designed the record to be translated for the
edification and blessing of the race, he did not experience
the direct interposition of God in the accomplishment of
the work — except only as the power of the Heavens was
manifested through the Urim and Thummim. And much
he marveled that the Lord should permit His holy pur-
poses to depend upon weak and slow-moving man. But
the Prophet lived to learn and to demonstrate that God
commits His decrees to His earthly children for fulfill-
28 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
ment; and though he may often work miracles in their
behalf, yet are they required to give their best endeavor
— even though weak and human — to the appointed deed ;
and out of their trials, their stumblings, their failures
and their ultimate successes, will he bring the triumph of
their devotion and His word.
Joseph had leisure and safety, after establishing him-
self at the house of Isaac Hale, in Harmony, Susque-
hanna County, State of Pennsylvania, in the month of
December, 1827, to examine the sacred history and treas-
ure which had been committed to his ward. And he very
soon began a somewhat desultory labor of copying the
different styles of strange characters found upon the
plates and translating some of them by the aid of the
Urim and Thummim. He thus prepared a considerable
number of characters on sheets; some of them being ac-
companied by translations and others being alone. It
does not appear that he had any more definite object in
this superficial work than to seek, half-blindly, to fulfill
the command delivered by the lips of Moroni, the angel
of the record. But the purpose, wisely ordained, was
later apparent.
Joseph continued his efforts until some time in the
month of February, 1828. Then the man, Martin Har-
ris, who had once before befriended him, appeared at the
Hale homestead.
Martin Harris had been deeply affected by his former
intercourse with Joseph; and he had come in the depth of
winter from his home near Lake ^Ontario, to seek out the
young Prophet and to learn more of his wondrous mis-
sion. Harris tarried a brief time with Joseph at the
house of Isaac Hale; and then in this same month of Feb-
ruary, 1828, with the Prophet's permission, he carried
away some of the various copies and translations which
Joseph, laboriously and patiently, had made. It was the
purpose of Martin Harris to submit the characters to
scientists and linguists ; and possibly by their verdict to
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 29
decide to establish or withdraw his half -yielded faith. In
pursuance of this plan, he went to New York City, and
there visited Charles Anthon, a professor of languages at
Columbia College.
Anthon examined first a sheet of characters accompa-
nied by Joseph's translation; and declared that the char-
acters were Ancient Egyptian and that the interpretation
was correct — more complete and perfect than any other
translation of that language which he had ever seen. He
then looked at the other sheets, not accompanied by
translations, and pronounced the characters to be genuine
specimens of various ancient written languages. He
wrote a certificate which embodied the foregoing asser-
tions and presented it to Martin Harris.
Afterward, Anthon made inquiry of Martin regarding
the origin of the characters; and then for the first time
the learned professor discovered what endorsement he had
bestowed upon an unlearned youth who had received from
the hands of an angel a golden record filled with these
ancient writings. Anthon hastily demanded the certifi-
cate which he had given to Harris; implying in his re-
quest that he wished to give the paper a final examina-
tion or to add something to it. And as soon as the
professor received it again into his hands, he destroyed
it, saying: "There is no such thing in these days as min-
istering of angels."
He asked that "the book which the young man had
dug up 7? might be brought to him; and stated that out of
his worldly learning he would translate the whole work.
Harris replied that a considerable portion of the record
was sealed and might not be opened to human gaze.
Then Anthon contemptuously responded.
"I cannot read a sealed book!"
And thus was fulfilled the word of Isaiah who wrote
twenty- six centuries ago:
"And the vision of all is become unto you as
the words of a book that is sealed, which men de-
30 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
LIVER TO ONE THAT IS LEARNED, SAYING, READ THIS, I
PRAY THEE: AND HE SAITH, I CANNOT; FOR IT IS SEALED."
When the conference with Professor Anthon was
ended, Martin Harris carried his manuscripts to one Doc-
tor Mitchell, who claimed a knowledge of some of the
characters ; and learning what Anthon had said concern-
ing their genuineness, the learned doctor endorsed the
statements of the other scholar.
Harris returned to the Prophet's home, fully con-
vinced. This man — generous, skeptical naturally, but
honest — was seized upon by the spirit of the work. When
he met Joseph he related the convincing occurrences of
his visits to the learned men, and he proffered his services
as a writer for the Prophet, in the great work of transla-
tion.
The proposal was gladly accepted; and Martin pro-
ceeded to Palmyra to arrange for a long absence from
home. It was the 12th day of April, 1828, when he
returned to Harmony, prepared to serve as a scribe.
From this time forward until the 14th day of June,
1828, Joseph dictated to Martin Harris from the plates of
gold; as the characters thereon] assumed through the
Urim and Thummim the forms of equivalent modern
words which were familiar to the understanding of the
j'outhful Seer.
Martin Harris was a critical man without supersti-
tion. Listening to the words dictated day by day, and
becoming familiar with Joseph, he sought to make an-
other test.
One of Joseph's aids in searching out the truths of
the record was a peculiar pebble or rock, which he called
also a seer stone, and which was sometimes used by him
in lieu of the Urim and Thummim. This stone had been
discovered to himself and his brother Hyrum at the bot-
tom of a well; and under divine guidance they had
brought it forth for use in the work of translation. Mar-
tin determined to deprive the Prophet of this stone. He
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 31
obtained a rock resembling a seer-stone in shape and
color, and slily substituted it for the Prophet's real me-
dium of translation. When next they were to begin their
labor, Joseph was at first silent; and then he exclaimed:
"Martin, what is the matter? All is dark."
Harris with shame confessed what he had attempted.
And when the Prophet demanded a reason for such con-
duct, Martin replied: lt I did it to either prove the utter-
ance or stop the mouths of fools who have said to me that
you had learned these sentences which you dictate and
that you were merely repeating them from memory."
The work progressed through the two months from
April until June; not steadily, for Martin was much
called away. But at the expiration of that time, on the
14th day of June, 1828, Martin had written one hundred
and sixteen pages foolscap of the translation.
And at this hour came a test, bitter in its experiences
and consequences to the Prophet of God.
A woman wrought a betrayal of the confidence re-
posed in Martin Harris and a temporary destruction of
Joseph's power.
The wife of the scribe was desirous to see the writ-
ings dictated to her husband by Joseph: she importuned
Martin until he, too, became anxious to have in his own
possession the manuscript. Long before the 14th day of
June, he began to solicit from the Prophet the privilege
of taking the papers away that he might show them to
curious and skeptical friends; and thereby be able to
give convincing proof to doubting persons, of Joseph's
diviue mission.
A simple denial was not sufficient, and he insisted
that Jehovah should be asked to thus favor him. Once,
twice, in answer to his demands, the Prophet inquired;
and each time the reply was that Martin Harris ought not
to be entrusted with the sacred manuscript. Even a third
time Martin required that Joseph should solicit permission
in his behalf; and on this occasion, which was near the
32 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
14th day of June, 1828, the word of the Lord came that
Joseph, at his own peril, might allow Harris to take pos-
session of the manuscript and exhibit it to a few other
persons who were designated by the Prophet in his sup-
plication. But because of Joseph's wearying applica-
tions to God, the Urim and Thummim and seer-stone
were taken from him. Accordingly the precious manu-
script was entrusted to the keeping of Martin Harris; and
he bound himself by a solemn oath to show it only to his
wife, his brother Preserved Harris, his father and mother,
and Mrs. Cobb, his wife's sister. After entering into this
sacred covenant, Martin Harris departed from Harmony,
carrying with him the inspired writings.
Then came about the punishment of Martin for his
importunacy and of Joseph for his blindness. Wicked
people, through the vanity and treachery of Martin's wife
and his own weakness, gained sight of the precious man-
uscript and they contrived to steal it away from Harris,
so that his eyes and the eyes of the Prophet never again
beheld it.
For his disobedient pertinacity in voicing to the Lord
the request of Martin Harris, Joseph had been deprived
of the Urim and Thummim and seer- stone ; but this was
not his only punishment. The pages of manuscript which
contained the translation he had been inspired to make ,
and 'which thereby became the words of God, had been
loaned to Martin Harris and been stolen ; and now the
plates themselves were taken from him by the angel of
the record.
The sorrow and humiliation which Joseph felt were
beyond description. The Lord's rebukes for his conduct
pierced him to the centre. He humbled himself in prayer
and repentance; and so true was his humility that the
Lord accepted it as expiation and the treasures were re-
stored to his keeping.
Martin Harris was also shamed and grieved; and he
repented in anguish the violation of his trust. But,
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 66
though a measure of confidence was restored to him, he
was never again permitted to act as a scribe for the
Prophet in the work of translation.
While Joseph was mourning the loss of the manu-
script, the Lord revealed to him many truths regarding
the situation to which he had brought himself, and also
warned him of the designs of wicked men who plotted to
overthrow him and to put the name of God and His
newly revealed record to shame in the land .
A rebuke was given at this time in words which
Joseph always remembered:
Although a man may have many revelations, and
have power to do many mighty works; yet, if he boasts in
his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God,
and follows after the dictates of his own will and carna
desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just
God upon him.
While these momentous events were in progress,
Joseph and his wife were called to mourn. In July, 1828,
a son was born to their house, but the babe died after a
brief time, leaving its mother at the door of dissolu-
tion. The needs of the little household now required that
the Prophet should give a time to toil; and he went forth
to labor humbly and uncomplainingly.
While he was thus engaged, in the month of Febru-
ary, 1829, he received a comforting revelation from the
Almighty :
Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth
among the children of men ; * * * *
For behold the field is white already to harvest, and
lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same
layeth up in store that he perish not, but bringeth salva-
tion to his soul.
Joseph's desire to atone for his loss of the first man-
uscript impelled him to constant exertion. After his
manual toil was ended each day, he contritely devoted his
34 JOSEPH THE PROPHET. .
hours to the work of translation; and his young wife
aided him by writing at his dictation. In this way some
progress was made. But Emma was bowed with bodily
suffering and with sorrow for her babe ; and often the
holy task languished, causing Joseph to pray earnestly to
God for a writer who could give his whole time to the
work.
CHAPTER IX.
oliver cowdery is sent of heaven to aid the prophet
— the aaronic priesthood is brought to earth by
Christ's forerunner — first baptisms of this dis-
pensation.
Almost a year had passed from the day upon which Mar-
tin Harris began his service as a scribe for Joseph,
when once more an earthly messenger of help appeared to
the Prophet.
It was at the hour of sunset on the Sabbath day,
April 5th, 1829, when Oliver Cowdery came to the Proph-
et's door — in Harmony, Susquehanna County, State of
Pennsylvania. This young man, Oliver Cowdery, a school
teacher, had been carried in the autumn of the year 1828,
in fulfillment of an engagement, to the town of Manches-
ter, New York. Hearing there of the angelic visitations
to the unlearned farm-lad, Joseph Smith, he was led to a
deep and prayerful investigation of the subject. A pow-
erful conviction that Joseph had been ministered to by
heavenly beings, as he had testified, was wrought upon
Oliver's mind, and he asked the Lord for direct guidance.
His prayer was answered, and the Lord made plain to him
that his would be the privilege and the duty to aid the
young Prophet as a scribe or secretary. Situated as Oliver
Cowdery was, it needed inspiration from the Almighty to
enable him to decide to accept such a mission ; for around
and within the little village of Manchester at that dark
hour surged the spirits of hatred, cruelty, falsehood and
even murder, and no man from any selfish wish, would
have cared to ally himself in acts or sympathetic words
with the cause and the man condemned by all the power
36 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
of the pulpit. As soon as he could gain honorable release
from his school duties, Oliver journeyed to Pennsylvania
and presented himself to Joseph as one who had a wish to
serve God and aid His chosen servant.
This was the first conversion by the testimony of the
Spirit of one who had not seen the Prophet. The Church
speaks for itself of the hundreds of thousands of honest
souls who have had the testimony of the Holy Ghost since
that hour.
Joseph accepted Oliver as the embodied answer to
his prayer for help; and on Tuesday, the 7th day of
April, 1829 — two days after they had first beheld each
other in the flesh — the Prophet began dictating to Oliver
in continuance of the work of translation. While they
labored the revelations of God came to them in guidance
of their daily work, in support of their hopes and in the
enlargement of their understandings concerning the prin-
ciples of salvation.
As they progressed, they encountered a passage of
the revealed record which spoke of baptism for the remis-
sion of sins. Deeply imbued with the sense of their
great responsibility, Joseph and Oliver felt as if a per-
sonal message had come to them, requiring their compli-
ance with some sacred observance. They talked together
long and earnestly upon the subject; and one day in the
month of May, 1829, they went into the woods together
and knelt before the Lord. They asked Him for light
concerning the matter of baptism for the remission of
sins. While kneeling with uncovered heads and lifting
up their voices in supplication, a messenger of Heaven,
clothed in dazzling glory, descended before their eyes.
As in the other visitations which had come to the Prophet
alone, this personage was also surrounded by a. supernal
light. Hb stated to them that he was Johu, known as
John the Baptist at the time of Christ; and that he had
come to minister to them, being under the direction of
Peter, James and John, the apostles who still held the
JOSEPH THE PROPHET, 37
keys of the priesthood after the order of Melchisedec.
He laid his hands upon their heads and said :
Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Mes-
siah, I confer the priesthood of Aaron, which holds the
keys of the ministering of angels and of the gospel of
repentance and of baptism by immersion for the remis-
sion of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the
earth until the sons of Levi- do offer again an offering un-
to the Lord in righteotisness.
Then this heavenly personage, concerning whom the
Savior Himself had said: " Among those that are born of
women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Bap-
tist," and whose unique and glorious privilege it had
been while in mortality to administer the ordinance of
baptism to the Son of God, instructed them in the duties
of the Aaronic priesthood to which they had just been
ordained. He said to Joseph and' Oliver that the Aaronic
priesthood did not possess the authority to bestow the gift
of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, but that such
power belonged to the priesthood of Melchisedec, which in
due time would be conferred upon them. John then com-
manded them that they should go forth unto the water;
and by the authority which he had transmitted to them
they should each baptize the other — Joseph to immerse
Oliver first, and then Oliver to perform the same office for
Joseph; and that each should, following baptism, re- or-
dain the other to the priesthood after the order of Aaron.
Later, they would receive the Melchisedec priesthood and
be ordained as elders; Joseph to be first and Oliver
second.
When John left them and ascended in his encircling
pillar of light, they went straightway to perform the com-
mand which they had received. Joseph led Oliver down
into the water, and, by authority which he had received,
the Prophet immersed his companion for the remission of
sin. As soon as this was done, Oliver immersed Joseph
in the same manner and by the same authority. They
38 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
came up together out of the water; and ordained each
other to the Aaronic priesthood.
No sooner had they fulfilled the requirements left
with them by John than they felt the power of holiness
resting upon them. Each one of them had instantly the
gift of mighty prophecy. Joseph saw and foretold the
establishment of a Church founded upon the rock of
righteousness; having the everlasting Gospel; proclaim-
ing the truth to all the nations of the earth ; fulfilling the
destiny designed by God in the redemption of humanity
from darkness and misery. Oliver, too, prophesied of
many glorious things, both for his own comfort and that
of Joseph.
Thus filled with sublime delight, entertaining more
hope and courage than ever before, they returned to their
labor of translation. If anything had been wanting to
banish every worldly thought from their minds aud to fill
them with a zealous desire to hasten the work, the prom-
ise of John supplied that requirement. Having so far
been permitted to partake of the blessings and ordinances
enjoyed by the chosen servants of Christ in another age;
and having a promise that through faithfulness they
should enjoy other gifts of this holy nature, nothing could
restrain their ardor.
The bitter experience which Joseph had endured y
through communicating so freely the glorious manifesta-
tions which he had received, taught him caution. When
he received his first communications from heaven, he had
supposed that he could relate what had occurred and the
tidings would be gladly received; but he soon learned, as
so many of those who have since espoused the truth have
also learned, that the words of caution given by the Lord
Jesus to His disciples, concerning giving that which is
holy unto the dogs and casting their pearls before swine,
were as applicable to these times as they were when He
gave them. There was a class of persons who would
trample such precious things under their feet and would
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 39
turn again and rend those who presented the truth to
them. Except, therefore, in things of this sacred character
which he was commanded of the Lord to make known,
he kept them to himself. So he and Oliver hid within
their breasts the fact of John's visitation and their bap-
tism, and the joy arising therefrom. Yet, notwithstanding
their caution, every step taken by the Prophet in fulfill-
ment of God's purposes in this dispensation, however
quietly he had acted, had been followed quickly by a new
outburst of persecution. The dawn of a new era was vis-
ible, and the evil one must exert every power he pos-
sessed to becloud the minds of men. The hatred of the
people dwelling in the vicinity of Harmony was kindled,
unaccountably even to themselves, against the two young
men. A mob spirit reigned in the neighborhood; and a
murderous attack upon Joseph and Oliver was only pre-
vented by the influence of Isaac Hale and his family, who
gave sympathy and help at this hour to the Prophet.
Joseph and Oliver, in the midst of their labors, did
not fail to pray for that help and guidance which they
needed. From the record itself they gathered a large
store of religious truths; and their minds being opened
to comprehend the principles of salvation, they also
searched the other scriptures, the Old and New Testa-
ments, with great profit to themselves. As a result, much
blessing came to them through their devotion and indus-
try. Joseph's concentration upon the work entrusted to
him had such effect upon members of the Hale family,
that they united in giving to him the assurance that he
should be protected from the mob; and that he should be
saved from all unlawful persecution, so far as their influ-
ence and strength could avail to defend him. They also
extended to Oliver a promise to similarly protect him so
long as he remained to assist Joseph.
After a little time, the spirit led the Prophet to im-
part to his friends and acquaintances some of the infor-
mation which he had gained. Though at this time he was
40 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
far from possessing the comprehension of the truth
which he afterwards had, he was still rich in knowledge
and blessings, compared with the people who surrounded
him, and who were enthralled by the ignorance and intol-
erance which had been growing through all the ages since
the ruin of the early church.
CHAPTER X.
THE PROPHET'S BEOTHEK SAMUEL BAPTIZED BY OLIVER-
RENEWED DANGER TO THE WORK — HELP FROM FAYETTE
— MIRACULOUS INTERPOSITION TO AID DAVID WHITMER
— HYRUM SMITH AND OTHERS BELIEVE AND ARE BAP-
TIZED-
While thus busily engaged, Samuel H. Smith, a brother
of Joseph, came down from Manchester to Harmony.
Joseph proclaimed to him the truth, so far as it had
been revealed; presented to his view the translation
of the Book of Mormon, so far as it had been completed;
and then besought him to gain by prayer to Almighty
God, a knowledge for himself concerning the divide origin
of that which he had heard and seen. Samuel, a man of
integrity and singleness and fixity of purpose, was not
easily convinced. Finally, however, he consented to ask
for light from Heaven. For this purpose he retired to the
woods and humbled himself in supplication before the
Lord. A convincing answer came to his prayer, and
he hastened to Joseph with his tidings of joy. At
the request of the Prophet, Oliver Cowdery adminis-
tered to Samuel in the ordinance of baptism for the
remission of his sins, and later he was confirmed. The
same signs followed in this case; and Samuel was
filled with the spirit of prophecy and praise. He ut-
tred many sublime truths of which his mind up to
that moment had never conceived. Desiring that his
kindred might be made partakers of his joy, he jour-
neyed quickly back to Manchester to give to the^fam-
42 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
ily the news of Joseph's extended calling. Hyruni
Smith came to Harmony immediately afterward to in-
quire of Joseph concerning these wondrous things. The
young Prophet declared to his elder brother that an angel
from Heaven had restored to earth the power to baptize
for the remission of human sin; and that himself and
Oliver had been made the recipients of this authority.
Hyruni Smith was a noble man, filled with earnest
desire for truth and holiness. He asked Joseph to obtain
further light, and at his request the Prophet solicited a
direct revelation from the Lord, on Hyrum's behalf. The
desire was answered in a revelation given to Hyruni,
through the Prophet. In that revelation, these words
occur :
Hyruni, my son, seek the Kingdom of God, and all
things shall be added according to that which is just.
Build upon my rock, which is my Gospel. Deny not the
Spirit of Revelation nor the Spirit of Prophecy; for woe
unto him that denieth these things.
Hyrum believed and awaited the proper hour for
baptism.
While the light of truth was thus breaking upon the
world, all the powers of hell allied themselves against it,
with the determination that it should be extinguished.
Mobs increased in strength and hatred. Added to this
constant menace, Joseph once more found himself almost
destitute of means. He would soon have been compelled
to relinquish the glorious work of translation to engage
again in manual toil for the sustenance of his family and
to provide maintenance for himself and Oliver, had not
Providence again raised up a friend to come to his aid.
In this eventful month of May, 1829, a man named
Joseph Knight appeared at Harmony and sought out the
Prophet, Mr. Knight had heard of Joseph's work and
desired to contribute out of his means to the progress of
the c^use. He brought food and such other comforts as
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. id
would enable the Prophet to continue his work of trans-
lation without being interrupted. Not only upon this
occasion, but more than once subsequently, Joseph
Knight journeyed from his home in Broome County, New
York, a distance of thirty miles, to bring supplies to the
Prophet's house.
Also in this month of May, Joseph received a revela-
tion from G-od instructing him that the manuscript lost by
Martin Harris had fallen into the hands of wicked men,
who had made alterations with intent to bring shame and
confusion upon Joseph, and distrust upon the word of the
Lord ; that the portion which was thus lost and changed
was only a translation of an abridgment of certain rec-
ords; and that, instead of translating once more this part
of the work, Joseph should translate the record of the
original plates from which the abridgment had been made
— thus giving a more complete presentation of that por-
tion of the history and thus preventing the wicked from
bringing forth their forgery and casting discredit upon
the Prophet by its means.
But the persecution did not cease, and the mobs
seemed to be gathering their forces with some definite
determination. At the opening of the month of June,
1829, immediate danger -threatened the Prophet and his
charge. But at this time a young man, calling himself
David Whitmer, presented himself at the residence of
Joseph and announced that he came with a message from
his father, Peter Whitmer, of Fayette, Seneca County,
New York. The message was an invitation from the
elder Whitmer to Joseph, requesting him to remove with
his work and his assistant to Fayette and there enjoy the
hospitality of the Whitmers and the protection which
they would be able to afford him, until his labor could be
completed.
The young man David also related to Joseph a mar-
velous interposition which had enabled him to deliver his
message so early. When David first felt an impression
44 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
that he ought to journey to Harmony in search of Joseph,
he questioned the wisdom of such a course; because his
farm -work was in such a condition that much loss must
ensue, he feared, if he departed at a time apparently so
inopportune. Be was pondering his doubts upon the
subject, when he was instructed by the whispering of the
Spirit that his duty required him to go down to Harmony
as soon as his field labor should reach a certain state. He
toiled during the ensuing day to harrow in the wheat of a
large field; and at night he found that he had done more
in a few hours than he could usually accomplish in two or
three days. The next morning he went out to spread
plaster, according to the custom of that region, upon an-
other field. When he reached the spot where he had for-
merly deposited large heaps of the plaster, he found that
it had been carried upon the field and spread just as he
would have laid it by his own hand. He marveled much.
His sister dwelt near the place and he asked her who had
done the work. She answered him 'that three strangers
had appeared at the field the day previous and had scat-
tered the plaster with wonderful skill and speed. She
and her children had viewed with amazement the progress
made by the men; but she had said nothing to them as
they were strangers, and she presumed that David had
employed them to help him through his rush of work.
Both Peter Whitmer and his son regarded these events
as miraculous interpositions to aid David to hasten down
into Pennsylvania. The young man therefore departed
with his horses and wagon the next morning and jour-
neyei to Harmony, a distance, as traveled, of one hun-
dred and fifty miles, in two days.
This aid came providentially; and Joseph, after re-
ceiving instruction in answer to prayer, accepted the invi-
tation. When the Prophet was prepared to depart from
Harmony, he asked the Lord to direct the manner in
which the plates should be carried to Fayette. He was
told in response that the angel would receive the treas-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 45
ures; and after the arrival of Joseph at the home of
Peter Whitmer in Fayette, would again deliver them into
his hands. Thus relieved, Joseph went serenely forth;
and in a few days he was safe in Fayette. In the garden
adjoining the Whitmer residence, the Prophet was visited
by the angel and once more was placed in possession of
the record.
The family of Peter Whitmer, and some other per-
sons in the neighborhood, were very earnest inquirers
after truth. The supernatural instruction and aid which
David had received to go down into Pennsylvania and
offer his father's house as a refuge to Joseph, amazed all
who heard of the occurrence. Therefore Joseph found
many people at Fayette anxious to receive him. Peter
Whitmer and all the members of his household accorded
to Joseph and also to Oliver every help and comfort
within their bestowal ; and thus, without further anxiety
as to their maintenance or safety, they were enabled to
progress with the translation of the sacred history.
While they were not laboring upon this work, they
were praying and teaching among the people. Thus the
Prophet and his assistant Oliver wrought much good.
Several honest, God-fearing souls became convinced that
Joseph Smith was entrusted with a divine mission. And
in this month of June, 1829, three persons were baptized
in Seneca Lake, after the pattern and under the au-
thority received from John, the forerunner of our Savior.
Hyrum Smith and David Whitmer received this ordinance
under the hand of the Prophet himself, and John Whit-
mer, a brother of David, was baptized by Oliver Cow-
dery.
The work of translation went on rapidly. When
Oliver's hand would grow weary after some hours of
writing, either Join or David Whitmer would take his
place and continue at the Prophet's dictation.
CHAPTER XL
ELEVEN CHOSEN WITNESSES VIEW THE PLATES — THEIR UNIM-
PEACHABLE TESTIMONY — RESTORATION OF THE MELCHISE-
DEC PRIESTHOOD BY DISCIPLES OF OUR LORD — THE APOS-
TLESHIP CONFERRED — OTHER BAPTISMS — THE TRANSLA-
TION COMPLETED.
After establishing himself at the house of David Whitmer,
and early in the month of June while engaged in translat-
ing, Joseph was instructed that three special witnesses
should be blessed of God with a revelation of the truth of
the Book and should be permitted to examine the plates.
This was, also, in fulfillment of predictions published in
the Book of Mormon. When this promise became known
to Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, they begged that
they might be numbered among the three witnesses. While
they were still making their petitions for this favor, Martin
Harris came to Fayette. Impelled by repentance and a
desire to gain forgiveness, he had followed Joseph. Martin
humbled himself in prayer to God and solicited the entreat-
ies of Joseph in his behalf. Joseph joined with Martin
in praying to Heaven that his humility and contrition might
be accepted and that he might be received again into favor.
The Lord answered Joseph that if Martin continued faith-
ful and humble, and refused to be led away again by evil
counsels or the vanity of the world, his sins would be for-
given. Then Martin, learning that witnesses were to be
chosen to behold the plates of gold, bearing the engraved
record, and to give testimony to all the world concerning
this work of God, most penitently and anxiously solicited
that he might be one of the witnesses with Oliver Cowdery
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 47
and David Whitmer. Much supplication was offered by
these three men; and Joseph prayed to the Lord on their
behalf. Soon the Prophet received a reply that through
prayer and humility, Oliver and David and Martin should
witness this manifestation of the power of God; that they
should view the plates of gold upon which were written
the sacred records; that they should see the [Trim and
Thummim — the breast-plate of gold, and also the seer-
stones which were given to the brother of Jared upon the
mount, when he talked with the Lotxl face to face; and
that they should be permitted to behold the sword of
Laban, which Nephi carried away from Jerusalem. After
this promise was given in a revelation through the
Prophet, he and his three fellow-servants, Oliver Cowdery,
David Whitmer and Martin Harris, withdrew into a retired
spot in the woods, and there bowed themselves in humble
prayer. Joseph first offered a supplication to the Lord
and he was followed by the others in succession ; all ask-
ing that the witnesses might be purified and forgiven be-
fore Heaven and be permitted to view the plates and the
other treasures. At first they received no manifestation
of Divine favor; and they contritely and fervently repeated
their solicitations. Still there came no answer. Martin
Harris then arose and confessed that his presence was the
cause of their failure. He said that he realized, through
the whispering of the Spirit, that his presence was objec-
tionable because of the sins he had formerly committed,
and that the Lord designed this as a rebuke to him and
an admonition that he must continue to humble himself
before Heaven. He proposed that he should withdraw to
a little distance, beyond the sight of his companions, and
engage in silent prayer; while they should continue their
joint supplications for the favor of God.
After Martin was gone, the others knelt down again
and engaged once more in prayer. While they were be-
seeching the Heavens, a light of exceeding brightness
changed the shadowed air above their heads into wondrous
48 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
brilliancy, and soon descended around about tlieni. Within
a pillar of radiance stood the angel holding the treasures
in his hands. He turned over the leaves of the unsealed
portion of the record one by one, and displayed to the
gaze of Oliver and David the golden plates. So bright
was the light that they could plainly discern the engraved
characters. The angel also showed to them the other pro-
mised treasures. While the light was still about them,
the voice of Heaven declared to them the divinity of the
work of which they were the witnesses. And after they
had been admonished to be forever faithful to the testi-
mony bestowed upon them, the vision withdrew.
Joseph left Oliver and David engaged in thanksgiving
to God for His infinite mercy, while he hastened away to
find Martin Harris. At a little distance, still within the
wood, Joseph discovered Martin praying hopelessly. He
had not been able to obtain an answer to his supplication,
and he earnestly entreated Joseph to join with him in his
appeal to the Lord. Meekly they prayed to God; and at
length came an answer in the renewal of the vision. Once
more the holy personage descended in dazzling brightness
and exhibited to Martin the plates and the other treasures
as they had been shown to Oliver and David. And again
the voice of Heaven gave testimony and admonition. So
great was the glory of the vision that Martin Harris had
not strength to long sustain his ecstasy: and he fell upon
his face, crying,
"It is enough! Mine eyes have beheld of the glories
of God!"
All the witnesses then returned with the Prophet to
the house of Peter Whitmer. Later they gave to the world
the testimony which has since gone forth with the Book
of Mormon: declaring to all nations, kindreds, tongues
and people that through the grace of God the Eternal
Father and His son Jesus Christ, they had seen the plates
containing the holy record; that an angel of God came
down from Heaven and laid before their eyes the plates;
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 49
that they beheld the engraving thereon; and that the voice
of God had declared unto them for a surety that the holy
record was true and had been faithfully translated ; and to
this testimony they added the solemn words:
' 'We know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall
rid our garments of the blood of all men and be found
spotless before the Judgment Seat of Christ, and shall
dwell eternally with Him in the Heavens."
The great happiness which the three witnesses ex-
perienced in thus being permitted to view the sacred treas-
ure, and the great desire they evinced from this hour to
aid the work of the Lord, made Joseph anxious that others
who were worthy might, in part at least, participate in
that blessing. He therefore obtained permission from the
Lord, to show the plates of gold to eight other faithful
persons; Christian Whit mer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whit-
mer, Jr., John Whitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Sen.,
Hyrum Smith and Samuel H. Smith. And these men also
gave to the world a testimony which has linked their names
forever with the Book of Mormon and the cause of Christ.
They saw, and testified to seeing, the plates of gold and
the engravings of curious workmanship upon them. And
they closed their simple declaration with these words :
''And we give our names unto the world to witness
unto the world that which we have seen; and we lie not,,
God bearing witness of it."
At length the translation was completed, and Joseph
and his friends arranged to have the book printed. A
contract was made with Egbert JB. Grandin, of Palmyra,
Wayne County, New York. And soon this sublime work,
which details the history of the peoples who anciently in-
habited the continents of North and South America; which
describes the dealings of God with the nations of the past
upon these lands; and which recounts the ministrations of
Christ in this part of His vineyard after His crucifixion at
Jerusalem, was opened to the gaze of the world. It is a
marvelous book and a wonder. Its pages portray the
50 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
history of powerful nations which flourished for hundreds
and even thousands of years; and yet, despite the brevity
of the work, this history is more complete and graphic
than any that was ever penned by the unaided hand of
man. The book also contains a record of a sublime system
of religion and religious government, as perfect as any
enjoyed by man upon this earth.
After the work of translation was ended, Joseph re-
committed his charge to the care of the Angel of the rec-
ord; and Moroni received it back into his keeping, to
bring forth the yet unsealed portions of it only when God
shall so decree.
Joseph, and Oliver under the Prophet's direction, la-
bored assiduously to spread the truth among the people.
And, though the powers of evil were often manifested
against them, they still were blessed with much success.
They had not waited for the completion of the work of
translation in order to engage in preaching. They felt
that the command was already definite, and that the need
of the world was urgent. As they became more acquainted
with the glorious truths which had been opened to their
minds through the bestowal of the Aaronic Priesthood
upon them, they became eager to obtain a better under-
standing of thew r ork of God and to enjoy further blessings
and gifts in accordance with the promi-e made to them.
Some time in the month of June, 1829, Peter, James
and John, the ancient disciples of our Lord and Savior,
and who, under Him, held the keys of that dispensation,
appeared in glory to Joseph and conferred upon him the
apostleship to which they themselves had been ordained
by the Lord Jesus while in mortality. Then these holy
personages ordained Oliver to the same Priesthood. After
they had departed, Joseph re-ordained Oliver, and also
accepted a re-ordination himself at Oliver's hands. Thus
was the Melchisedek Priesthood in purity and power again
received on earth. The gift of the Holy Ghost was sealed
upon the heads of the Prophet and his fellow-servant, and
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 51
they enjoyed its fullness of blessing. A momentous reve-
lation soon followed from the Lord; directed not only to
Joseph, but to Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, mak-
ing known the calling of the apostles of the last dispen-
sation and bestowing instructions concerning the building
up of the Church of Christ, according to the fullness of
the gospel.
So passed some months of blessing and industry.
Truth was constantly developed by study and reflection
upon God's goodness and the mysteries of His kingdom
through the aid of revelation from Him. Much time was
also given to inquiring acquaintances and strangers who
came to seek for light. Whenever any person, being con-
vinced of the truth of the mission to which Joseph Smith
had been called, solicited baptism at the hands of the
apostles, if Joseph became convinced of the sincerity and
worthiness of the applicant, the ordinance was adminis-
tered in faith and power. It never failed to produce its
promised result.
Emma, the wife of the Prophet, had remained in
Pennsylvania. After the manuscript translation had been
placed in the printer's hands, Joseph found time to visit
his wife. As fast as the truth was made known to him
through revelation, he communicated it unto her; he de-
sired that she might partake with him of the gifts which
Heaven was bestowing. He paid two or three visits to
Harmony during the autumn of 1829, and the succeeding
winter; while Oliver, under Joseph's direction, gave close
attention to the printing and publishing of the Book of
Mormon. Early in the spring of 1830, the work was com-
pleted and the first edition of the book was given to the
world.
And at this time the hour was come for the establish-
ment, after the order revealed by God, of the Church of
Christ once more upon the earth.
CHAPTER XII.
ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH AT FAYETTE — REVIEW OF THE
PROPHET'S LABORS — HIS UNPRETENTIOUS CHARACTER —
THE COURAGE AVHICH ANIMATED HIM WAS SHARED BY HIS
ASSOCIATES — THE WITNESSES AND EARLY MEMBERS OF
THE CHURCH.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was
organized on the 6th day of April, in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and thirty, in Fayette, Seneca
County, in the State of New York. Six persons were the
original members: Joseph Smith the Prophet, Oliver
Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, Peter Whitmer, Jun., Samuel
H. Smith, and David Whitmer. Bach of the men had
already been baptized by direct authority from Heaven.
The organization was made on the day and after the pat-
tern dictated by God in a revelation given to Joseph Smith.
The Church was called after the name of Jesus Christ; be-
cause He so ordered. Jesus accepted the Church, declared
it to be His own, and empowered it to minister on earth
in His name.
The sacrament, under inspiration from Jesus Christ,
was administered to all who had thus taken upon them
His name.
This was a day of great joy to Joseph — a joy which
was shared by those who became thus united with him in
a holy work. It is also a day now reverenced by hundreds
of thousands of the human family; a day to be held in
sacred veneration throughout all the time to elapse until
the Messiah Himself shall come in glory to accept the
Kingdom from the hands of His authorized servants, and
to give reward for all the woes and the persecutions which
men have heaped upon His chosen ones.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 53
Joseph was at this time twenty-four years of age. A
period of ten years had passed since the hour in which the
Father and Son had first appeared in answer to his prayer.
During the most of this time he had been in close com-
munication with the Heavens, and the organization of the
Church was but the accomplishment of a definite purpose
of the Almighty. Joseph had been led along, himself not
knowing in complete fullness to what great result his life
and labors were tending. He had only known to do the
will of Heaven as expressed to him, and to patiently await
the future. Doubtless at this hour of the organization he
looked back with thanks and marvel at all which God had
given for the benefit of His children. From out of the
false religions of the earth the Lord had lifted this His
servant, and had trained him from boyhood in the way
most pleasing to Him.
In the very manner of the restoration of the gospel,
Joseph learned that God requires even His elect to defer
to the order and authority instituted by Christ The power
by which Joseph Smith was baptized was the same power
by which every man must be baptized who has a member-
ship in the Church of Christ. That power had been taken
from the earth, leaving the human family without the au-
thority to administer the ordinances of the gospel during
many centuries. No earthly being could restore it, and
none could use it until John the Baptist conferred it in its
fullness upon Joseph and also upon his fellow servant,
Oliver. There is something significant in the fact that
the authority to baptize was bestowed upon Joseph and
Oliver by the same personage who had stood in the waters
of the Jordan about 1800 years before, to immerse in that
stream the earthly tabernacle of God's Only Begotten.
As Joseph had not been permitted to officiate in baptism,
or to confer the Aaronic Priesthood, until John had vis-
ited him and transmitted that authority from Heaven, so
after even this blessing had become his own, he was un-
able to seal the gift of the Holy Ghost, or to ordain an
54 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Elder, until after Peter, James and John had endowed
him with the Priesthood after the holy order of Melchise-
dek. And even after both these holy orders of Priesthood
were given to him, and he had ordained Oliver unto them;
even after he had beheld in vision the establishment of
the work of righteousness, he knew not how nor when the
organization of the Church should be accomplished. It
was necessary that God should define the mode and the
principle of organization and should direct each step to be
taken in this establishment of His kingdom ; and it was
not until He did this that Joseph knew in what manner to
obtain the restoration of the power which belongs to the
body of the Saints in Christ.
Joseph proceeded carefully, and exactly according to
the instruction of the Almighty, and he laid the foun-
dation of a work which will endure as long as earth shall
last.
The people who thus became associated with Joseph
were generally his seniors, but there was no hesitation on
their part in yielding him the respect due to the represen-
tative of Christ on earth, and they united in giving him a
devotion which supported and blessed him from hour to
hour. Joseph was no longer an uncouth village lad, for
the exalted course of his life during the years in which he
had walked under God's guidance had elevated him in-
tellectually until he was already the peer of any man. No
doubt at this hour he was lacking, as he had been in his
earlier youth, in the technical teachings of the schools;
but he had a deeper knowledge and a finer judgment than
any possessed by the most favored of all the students of
the colleges. As a boy he may have been no more potent
in swaying the feelings and judgment of those with whom
he came in contact than were his fellow youths ; but as a
man of God, clothed upon with the Priesthood, filled with
zeal, noble in carriage, majestic in deportment, no person
could view him without bestowing veneration. Such is
the testimony of all who knew him at this time. It is true
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 55
that he had not yet received that broad culture, he had
not penetrated to the depths of theology, astronomy, and
all the higher sciences which govern the kingdom of Christ,
and uuto which the Spirit of God eventually led him; but
from his almost transparent face there shone a light of
such beauty and power, and from his lips there came such
words of divine promise to mankind, that his associates
accorded to him a greater respect than could have been
elicited by the most learned minister of earthly churches,
or the most powerful ruler of earthly kingdoms.
The men who were thus associated with him, and who
thus freely tendered him, as the vicegerent of God on
earth, the highest devotion of their souls, were not natur-
ally enthusiasts in the matter of religion ; nor were they
men who could be deceived. They were of Puritan an-
cestry and demanded the conviction of their reason before
yielding their faith.
That reason once convinced, they were men of such
exalted courage that they dared the ridicule of the pulpit
and the anger of mobs, to voice their convictions and to
yield their adherence to the gospel. The witnesses to the
Book of Mormon, and the men who supported Joseph, in
his fulfillment of the divine command to organize the
Church of Christ in these last days, have left no room for
a doubt of their sincerity. Conservative in character,
thrifty in habits, they were not of a class who would ven-
ture from any slight motive to excite the hatred of a world
which they knew would deem itself outraged by their
avowal. Each one of them knew enough of the early
experiences of Joseph to feel certain that he, too, would
become the object of clerical ridicule and the vindictive
persecution of the masses, incited by jealous religious
leaders. At every step since Joseph's encounter with the
intolerant spirit of the community in which he lived, he
had been obliged to call upon the Lord to aid him with
more than mortal courage, to meet and withstand the
cruel assaults of his enemies. In thus joining him, the
56 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
witnesses and early members of the Church provoked the
hostility already raging against him, and they were obliged
to seek the same source for the same reinforcement of
their natural strength, moral and physical.
In this inception of the work its character was defined
to a marvelous degree. Joseph himself, and much less
his companions, may not have fully understood the divine
simplicity and sublime comprehensiveness of the organi-
zation of the Church of the Lamb of God which he was
commanded to effect upon that memoiable day; but their
minds were enlightened by the Spirit of God, and by the
gift of prophecy they were inspired to foretell the grandeur
of the results that would be accomplished through this
organization. Standing at this distance of time from that
day, the observer can clearly see how beautifully adapted
it is for the purposes for which it is designed. Suitable
in the beginning for the government of a Church of six
members, and for branches of the Church composed of
;any number of members, experience has demonstrated
that it is capable of furnishing heavenly government for
the entire race of man. Coming from Deity, it possesses
divine perfection and admits of magnificent and infinite
expansion. No officers necessary for the correct govern-
ment of the Church and for the growth and full develop-
ment of its members were omitted, and their spheres of
operation and labor were so well defined that, while they
retain the Spirit of the Lord, there can be no conflict or
even friction between them. Fully recognizing the free
agency of man, the Lord designed that the officers should
derive their power to control, and the system its wonder-
ful elasticity and strength, from the cheerfully-yielded
obedience of its members. In this way the requisite au-
thority to govern, the power to enforce and maintain
order, and complete personal freedom are harmoniously
blended in the organization of the Church as revealed to
the Prophet Joseph.
The gospel, as revealed in part and promised in full
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 57
to him at that early day, was a pure and simple gift to all
men upon the face of the earth who would make them-
selves worthy. It neither contemplated unrighteous espion-
age of thought and personal action, nor unholy servi-
tude or worship of man by man. The barbarity of power,
which characterized the apostate churches which swayed
the world of Christendom for so many long centuries, did
not exist in this divine plan for the salvation of the human
race. Such gloomy tenets as infantile damnation or ac-
countability, and the consigning of the soul to a place of
eternal misery and torment from which there could be no
deliverance and to which there could be no alleviation,
embodied in the systems of religion which were taught
and vouched for by their teachers as divine, were absent
from this simple gospel. At the time of the organization
of His Church, God made known His gospel in all the
simplicity and fullness of truth, sublime and symmetrical
as taught by the Redeemer, not as it had been perverted
for ages. All the dark and cruel mysteries which had
enshrouded so-called religion were swept away. Joseph
had learned by most glorious and satisfactory experience
that it was possible for man to approach and know God
for himself. He taught his fellows that this is the true
foundation of the gospel of salvation ; that it is every hu-
man being's privilege to lift his eyes to God, to obtain
revelation and every good gift from Him through obedience
to His laws. Who can measure the great blossoming of
human character which has already appeared, and the
rich fruitage which the coming generations will yet yield
through the enforcement of this grand truth? One of the
accusations brought against the Savior, and for which His
enemies sought to stone Him, was that He, being a man,
made Himself equal with God. To a generation such as
they, from whom God was so far removed that all com-
munication between them had ceased, such a relationship
between man and the great Creator, as the Lord Jesus
taught as existing, was offensive and blasphemous. It
58 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
was this elevating and ennobling truth that the Prophet
Joseph taught to the world. He taught a gospel of man's
worship to God, and not man's servitude to his fellow.
One of its grand principles is that each soul must be ac-
countable to its Creator for its deeds ; and no person who
has not reached the years of individual accountability is
condemned for the non-performance of ceremonies or or-
dinances which he can neither understand nor attend to.
Infants are all saved in Christ; and need no penance, no
baptism, no church membership. But a man who has
heard the word of God is personally responsible for his
own life and must bear the consequences of its rejection
in his own person.
The full recognition of God's authority as bestowed
by Him and man's equality with his fellow-man constitute
the vitality of the Kingdom of God. But Satan prompts
man to establish creeds of man- worship, in which priest-
craft, as opposed to priesthood, prevails. He appeals to
the avarice and ambition of men and divides society into
classes, making worldly learning, the possession of wealth,
and the "accident of birth," the distinctions which com-
mand respect and honor. The theology of the churches,
which flourished in the region where Joseph dwelt from
boyhood to maturity, flowed from the muddy stream. But
he was not influenced by it. Through the revelations of
Jesus, the theology which he was inspired to teach was
utterly unlike any system taught by man.
Instead of being lifted up by the favor which had
been shown to him, Joseph was made to feel his own
weaknesses. Chosen to be a prophet and the leader of
God's people, he was conscious that he was only human,
subject to human temptations and human frailties. Hav-
ing the honesty and courage inspired by the Spirit of the
Lord, he dared to confess this openly; and, under the
same inspiration, acknowledge his transgression and make
his contrition known. He was not above any law which
applied to his fellow-man. Of his responsibility to God
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 59
and his brethren of the Church, he was required by the
law revealed through himself to the Church, to give as
strict an account as any other member. They who par-
ticipated with him in authority owed it not to him as an
individual, but to the eternal power to which they were
alike responsible.
The grandeur of Joseph's character is most shown in
his lack of pretension. Christ declared Himself the head
of the Church; and though Joseph was to be our Savior's
representative here on earth, he exacted no homage from
his fellow-believers, but only such respect as the gospel
required them to pay. The thought of gaining glory for
himself appears never to have entered his mind. His con-
duct in the beginning, in execution of the requirements of
the Lord, was but a type of his whole life. The commands
of God came through him to earth, and he gave them
voice firmly and fearlessly. Speaking as a prophet of God
under the influence of the Spirit, he brooked no opposition;
but in his personal relations with his fellow- Apostles and
Elders he gave them, according to their station and their
deserts, as much deference as he asked, or was willing to
receive for himself. This characteristic gave him power
in the beginning. Only he who knows how to obey is
worthy to command; only he who yields to others their
due can expect compliance with his own order, however
lawful it may be.
From this time of the organization of the Church, the
revelations of God have come constantly, through Christ's
chosen representative, to guide, to instruct, to admonish
and to warn the people ; and from this source the body of
the Saints has received its daily life.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE ALL- COMPREHENDING CHARACTER OF JOSEPH'S INSPI-
RATION — FIRST PUBLIC MEETING OF THE CHURCH AFTER
ORGANIZATION — BELIEVERS ASKING BAPTISM— MOBS SEEK-
ING THE LIFE OR THE LIBERTY OF THE PROPHET — TWICE
ARRESTED AND ACQUITTED— JOSEPH'S LAWYER HEARS A
MYSTERIOUS VOICE — COPYING THE REVELATIONS.
Joseph saw his mission now in its full significance. The
instruction which came to him when he first prayed in the
woods at Manchester did not mean that he alone should
find salvation outside of the creeds of man; hut that the
error of the ages was to be overthrown by the hand of
God, and the way opened for the redemption of a race.
The organization of the Church, therefore, meant that
the chief Apostle of Christ in this last dispensation should
take upon himself the cross and bear it through life. The
people must be edified and perfected, and the Gospel must
be extended freely to the acceptance or rejection of all
nations, kindreds, tongues and people.
Joseph knew now that through prayer to Heaven he
must seek stores of wisdom for his own guidance and for
the secure establishment and the perfect government of
the Church of our Lord and Savior. He was not obliged
to search the worldly records of the past for knowledge
and inspiration. If at this hour, all the histories of earthly
governments and religious organizations, with the books
of philosophy and moral truths — accepted by the world,
had been blotted out, Joseph Smith and his mission of
enlightenment would have abated not one tittle of their
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 61
power and significance. The light of God's all-compre-
hending wisdom was shining upon the Prophet's soul.
The first public meeting of the Church after the day
of its organization was held at the house of Peter Whitmer
in Fayette, on the 11th day of April, 1830. On that oc-
casion Oliver Cowdery, under Joseph's direction, pro-
claimed the word of God for the comfort and instruction
of Saints and strangers. The appointment for this meet-
ing had gone forth through all the neighborhood; and
many persons came to hear what wonderful things were
to be spoken by the men who professed to be called
directly of God to the ministry. This was the first public
discourse delivered by an authorized servant of God in
these last days. At the conclusion of the services a number
of persons demanded baptism and membership among the
people of God. They professed to have faith in Christ,
avowed their penitence for all evil done by them, and
asked to be baptized that they might obtain the remission
of their sins. The ordinance was administered to such as
were worthy.
Following this meeting, which gave him joy and called
forth praise from his heart to Heaven, Joseph journeyed
to Colesville, the home of the kindly Mr. Knight whose
bounty had been extended to the Prophet and to Oliver
in an hour of need. Joseph desired to make known to
the family of Knight all that God had spoken in way of
command and promise. Mr. Knight and several members
of his family were Universalists. They were firm in their
conviction, but were glad to listen to the message delivered
by Joseph. It was a plain statement; for Joseph made
no attempt to lend earthly adornments to the pure w r ord
of Christ. Joseph Knight listened and then argued with
the Prophet. But he was deeply impressed and solicited
Joseph to hold meetings, in which the public might hear
the young Apostle and have opportunity to judge of the
doctrines which he avowed. Newell, a son of Joseph
Knight, became much interested in the Prophet's words.
62 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Many serious conversations ensued, and Newell became
so far convinced of the divinity of the work that he gave
a partial promise that he would arise in meeting and offer
supplication to God before his friends and neighbors.
But at the appointed moment he failed to respond to Jo-
seph's invitation. Later he told the Prophet he would
pray in secret, and thus seek to resolve his doubts and
gain strength. On the day following, Newell went into
the woods to offer his devotions to Heaven; but was un-
able to give utterance to his feelings, being held in bond-
age by some power which he could not define. He re-
turned to his home ill in body and depressed in mind.
His appearance alarmed his wife, and in a broken voice
he requested her to quickly find the Prophet and bring him
to his bedside. When Joseph arrived at the house, Newell
was suffering most frightful distortions of his visage and
limbs, as if he were in convulsions. Even as the Prophet
gazed at him Newell was seized upon by some mysterious
influence and tossed helpless about the room. Through
the gift of discernment Joseph saw that his friend was in
the grasp of the evil one, and that only the power of God
could save him from the tortures under which he was
suffering. He took Newell 's hand and gently addressed
him. Newell replied, U I am possessed of a devil. Exert
your authority, I beseech you, to cast him out." Joseph
replied, "If you know that I have power to drive him from
your soul, it shall be done." And when these words were
uttered, Joseph rebuked the Destroyer and commanded
him in the name of Jesus Christ to depart. The Lord
condescended to honor His servant in thus exercising the
power which belonged to his Priesthood and calling, for
instantly Newell cried out with joy that he felt the accursed
influence leave him and saw the evil spirit passing from
the room.
Thus was performed the first miracle of the Church.
Many people were present and witnessed it, and when
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 63
they would have ascribed to Joseph honor and praise, he
checked them, saying:
"It was not done by man, nor by the power of man,
but was done by God and the power of His godliness;
therefore let the honor and the praise and the dominion
and the glory be ascribed to the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit for ever and ever,"
Since that hour thousands of miracles have been per-
formed by the Elders of the Church, through the power
of the Priesthood restored from Heaven and in fulfillment
of the promises made by the Lord Jesus. But those who
have been honored in performing them have not admin-
istered unto their fellowmen to gratify any wish to behold
a miracle — a sign sought for by a wicked and adulterous
generation; but to comply with the command of the Lord
in administering an ordinance designed for the healing of
the faithful sick and to comfort them and strengthen them
in their faith.
Newell Knight believed and was made whole. He
became enrapt in contemplation of the goodness of God,
and the visions of eternity were opened to his view. He
saw such a world of glory that he lost his sense of earthly
things. His physical being participated in the exaltation,
and while his spirit soared beyond the narrow confines of
his earthly house, his body was caught up and suspended
in the air. When the vision passed he sank, weak but
happy, to the floor. So much was he overcome that it
was necessary to carry him to his bed, and leave him to
some hours of repose.
Of the many persons who witnessed these events
nearly all subsequently became members of the Church.
When Joseph had completed a brief ministry among
the people in that region he returned to Fayette, and
found that much excitement prevailed there because of
the coming forth of the word of God. "The Book of
Mormon was accounted as a strange thing;" and perse-
64 JOSEPH THtf PROPHET.
cution was heaped upon the adherents of the Church, and
all who would entertain friendly relations with them.
The first appointed conference of the Church of Jesus
Christ iu this dispensation was held at Fayette on the ]st
day of June, 1830. Thirty members were present on the
opening day; and scores of people were there who already
believed, or came with the desire to hear the principles
taught by Joseph Smith. The sacrament of the Lord's
supper was administered to all the members of the Church
in conference assembled; and the faith of the congregation
was so mighty that the Heavens were opened to their
view, and many beheld the glory of the celestial kingdom.
Newell Knight was one of the believers present, and he
saw, through the parted veil of eternity, the Lord Jesus
Christ seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Prophetic vision flooded his soul with light, and he saw
the mighty work of the dispensation carried to its fulfill-
ment; he saw Joseph Smith laboring, as the instrument
of God's choice, to redeem man and lead him back to the
presence of his Creator. The effect of these visions upon
Newell Knight and the others who beheld them, was to
deprive them of their natural strength, and they were
carried to couches, upon which they rested for a brief
time. When their strength was restored they arose and
shouted, "Hosannah, to God and the Lamb," and then,
to the wonder and joy of all who heard them, they re-
hearsed the glories which they had beheld.
Many baptisms followed. Those of the brethren who
were most suitable were ordained to the ministry, and
received instantly the spirit of their holy calling. Joseph
returned to his own home, at Harmony. Later, accom-
panied by his wife and three of the Elders, he went again
to Colesville. Here they found many people awaiting
baptism. Joseph prepared to accede to their demand.
A suitable portion of a little stream in that locality was
prepared for the purpose of the administration of the ordi-
nance; but in the night sectarian priests, fearful of losing
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 65
their congregations and their hire, instigated evil men to
desecrate the spot and to destroy all the preparations of
the Elders. But the candidates for baptism remained
faithful, and were confirmed in their belief by this sign
flowing from the hatred of the ungodly ; and a few days
later the ordinance was administered by Oliver Cowdery
to thirteen persons at Colesville. Among them was Emma,
the Prophet's wife, who believed and humbly went forth
to perform the requirement of Heaven. The joy of Joseph
when he welcomed his wife into the Church was unspeak-
able.
While the baptisms were in progress an angry mob
collected, and threatened destruction to the Elders and
believers. The mob surrounded the houses of Joseph
Knight and his son Newel and railed with devilish hatred
at the inmates. The Prophet spoke to them and made an
effort to calm their passion, but without avail. Wearied
with their own impotent wrath, the mobs departed; but
only to concoct new plots.
That night a meeting was to be held, and when the
believers and sympathizers had assembled, and Joseph
was about to offer them instruction and consolation, a
constable approached and arrested him on a warrant
charging him with being a disorderly person, for setting
the country in an uproar by circulating the Book of Mor-
mon and by preaching a gospel of revelation. The officer
was a kind man, and some time after the formal arrest
he stated to Joseph that the object of the warrant was to
place the prisoner in the hands of the mob who were de-
termined to destroy him. These words were verified im-
mediately after; because when the constable was taking
Joseph away from Mr. Knight's house in a wagon, they
found the mob in ambush awaiting the appearance of the
Prophet, and ready to act murderously upon a signal from
the constable, whom they vainly believed was in sympathy
with them. The baffled mob, more enraged than ever,
pursued the wagon a considerable distance, but were un-
66 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
able to overtake it; and the constable soon reached South
Bainbridge, in Chenango County, with his prisoner. The
hour was late and they went to an inn, where they were
lodged in an upper room. Joseph occupied a bed and
slept peacefully, after communing silently with his Maker.
The officer threw his body across the entrance to the room,
and slumbered lightly. He held a loaded musket in his
hands ready to defend his prisoner from unlawful assault.
The next day was a time of intense excitement. A
court was convened to consider the strange charges brought
against the young man, Joseph Smith; and hateful lies,
of every form which the father of falsehood could devise,
were circulated to create popular dislike. But Joseph
Knight appeared at the court with two of his neighbors,
James Davidson and John Reid, outspoken men, learned
in the law and standing high in public esteem, who were
to appear on behalf of the Prophet. The bitter feeling of
endangered priestcraft was visible throughout the trial;
but all the accusations which were made were but lies,
and none were sustained. The court declared an acquittal.
The evidence in the trial was a high tribute to the charac-
ter of Joseph Smith. Evidently preparations had been
made to deal his influence a fatal blow; and people were
brought from great distances who knew him intimately as
a boy and as a young man. It was hoped by the inciters
of the outrage that these former neighbors of Joseph would
heed the public clamor against him and testify that his
nature was evil. But on the contrary, all these witnesses
declared that in all their intercourse with the Prophet, his
life had been above reproach.
Qnheeding this emphatic demonstration in Joseph's
behalf, his enemies determined that they would not with-
hold their hands. They declared that he had committed
other offenses in Broome County, and they must have a
warrant for him in the interest of the public weal. This
paper was secured on the oath of a sectarian bigot; and
no sooner was Joseph acquitted by the court in Chenango
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 67
County, than he was seized under the new warrant and
dragged back to Colesville. The officer in charge this
time was a sympathizer with the mob. He refused food
to his prisoner and refused to allow him to call at the
houses of his friends, or to see his wife. This constable
carried him to a tavern, and then invited a number of
persons to unite in abuse and ridicule of the Prophet. The
rabble jeered and spat upon their victim. They pointed
their fingers at him, crying, "Prophesy! Prophesy!"
Joseph offered security for his appearance on the following
day, and asked to be released; but the officer would not
consent. The only favor which he would grant to Joseph
was to bring to him a cup of water and a crust of bread.
When the morning came, Joseph was arraigned be-
fore the magistrate's court of Colesville. Arrayed against
him were some of the people who had been discomfited at
the trial in Chenango County. This time they were de-
termined to secure a conviction. By the side of the
Prophet were his friends and advocates who had aided
him in the former trial. Despite the vindictive effort of
the mob, the court discharged the Prophet, declaring that
nothing was shown to his dishonor. Even the cruel con-
stable who had abused his little authority to make Joseph's
lot more miserable, became convinced of the entire inno-
cence of his charge; and he besought the forgiveness of
his former prisoner. He gave information to Joseph that
a plot was in progress to secure his person.
The inciters of these outrages were two prominent
Presbyterians of that region — Cyrus McMaster and one
Dr. Boyington. The creature whom they secured to make
oath against Joseph was also a Presbyterian; his name
was Benton.
The honest and courageous man John Reid, who
successfully defended the Prophet before the courts, him-
self has testified to the remarkable manner in which he
was engaged in the case. A messenger came to his house
and requested him to appear before the magistrate on be-
68 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
half of Joseph Smith. Mr. Reid was busy at the time; he
had never seen the young man Joseph Smith; and he de-
termined not to enter the case. But before he could
decline aloud, a low, strange voice uttered these words:
"You MUST go to deliver the Lord's Anointed! " He
was thrilled with awe at the mysterious sound. He knew
that the messenger had not spoken; and upon inquiry Mr.
Reid learned that the voice had been to himself alone.
The impression caused by this experience was such that
Mr. Reid hastened to the place of trial. While he was
engaged in the case his mysterious emotion increased;
and when he arose to defend the Prophet in argument, he
was inspired to an eloquence beyond himself, and which
was irresistible.*
When Joseph was freed from custody after the second
trial, the constable extended his aid; and thus the Prophet
was enabled to escape while his enemies were organizing
unlawfully to get him into their clutches. Joseph had
been two days without food; and when released, his friends
told him that he must flee at once, for the mob had organ-
ized and was determined. Night had already come; and
lie traveled until daylight the next morning, when he
reached a place of safety at the house of an acquaintance
many miles distant from Colesville. Here he found
Emma, and they journeyed to Harmony without fourther
molestation. But a few days later, when he returned to
Colesville to confirm the persons who had been baptized,
the mob assailed him with greater violence than ev^r be-
fore; and it was with difficulty that his friends aided him
to preserve his life from the attacks of the sectarian priests
through their bigoted followers.
Upon returning once more to Harmony after this last
visit to Colesville, the Prophet engaged in the labor of
* It is worthy of notice here that Hon. Amos Reid, who, in early days, was
secretary and, part of the time, acting Governor of Utah Territory, was the son of
this honest man, John Reid, and always referred with pleasure and pride to the-
part his father took in behalf of the Prophet on these occasions.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 69
making a record in proper order of the revelations which
had come to him from the Lord. In this work he was
aided for a time by Oliver Cowdery; but later Oliver went
to Fayette, and Emma, under commandment of the Lord,
once more served her husband as a scribe.
While Joseph was thus laboring in Pennsylvania,
Parley P. Pratt visited Fayette to learn something of the
young Prophet. Not finding Joseph, the seeker after
truth made his investigations alone. He became convinced
that he had found the gospel; and he asked and received
baptism at the hands of Oliver Cowdery in Seneca Lake.
This was a momentous event.
CHAPTER XIV.
DISSENSIONS WITHIN THE FOLD— OLIVER COWDERY AND HIRAM
PAGE LEAD THE WHITMERS ASTRAY — MOBS AT COLESVILLE
AND PERSECUTION AT HARMONY — ISAAC HALE AND HIS
FAMILY OPPOSE JOSEPH — THE PROPHET REMOVES TO
FAYETTE — PROPHETIC OUTLINE OF THE GATHERING.
The peaceful and blessed hours which the Prophet had
hoped to enjoy in the performance of his holy work at his
home in Harmony, were quickly intruded upon. Satan
had been able already to excite Joseph's enemies to a
frenzy, and to make the conversion of even honest in-
quirers difficult, and in many cases impossible. Not satis-
fied with this, the evil one stirred up the hearts of some
of Joseph's friends and associates to feelings of jealous
vanity and fear.
Oliver Cowdery, at Fayette, was the first victim within
the fold of the assaults of the adversary. While the
Prophet, aided by his wife, was transcribing the reve-
lations, he received a startling letter, couched in stern
and disrespectful terms, addressed to him by Oliver from
Fayette. The letter demanded that Joseph should erase
certain words from one of the commandments given by
God to the Church, alleging that they had been incorrectly
written. The Prophet was shocked and grieved, because
he saw therein the snare which Satan had set for the feet
of some of the flock of Christ. He knew, too, how prone
Oliver was to be lifted up in the pride of his heart; and
he saw in this a concession to evil by Oliver which must
soon be checked and withdrawn, or Oliver, and those who
had sympathy for him, would soon be cast out. Joseph
wrote a letter, full of loving admonition, and yet rebuking
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 71
firmly the error to which Oliver was yielding. Joseph in-
formed him that the revelation had been correctly written
— it was the command of God, and no man had authority
to take from it a single word.
Joseph soon followed his letter and visited his asso-
ciates at Fayette. He found there a most deplorable state
of affairs. Oliver Cowdery had yielded to the power of
darkness. In the vanity of his heart he had set himself
up against the Prophet of the Lord, and by skillful per-
suasion and flattery, had succeeded in winning the Whit-
mers to a belief in his views. Joseph felt that they were
hardened toward him, and that the spirit which possessed
them must at once be subdued and cast out, else thejr
would be lost to the cause of Christ. He prayed for help r
and labored earnestly and lovingly to show to Oliver and
the others the error of their way. None of them at first
would listen to his words. The influence which possessed
them was perfectly aware that if they gave attention to
Joseph's words they would soon discover their mistake;
and it encouraged in them an obstinate and hateful feel-
ing. After some time Christian Whitmer became con-
vinced of their error. He saw the abyss into which the
archenemy had endeavored to drag him; and he joined
with Joseph in supplication to the Lord that his father
and brothers and Oliver Cowdery might be turned aside
from their evil course, and brought back into the right
way. One by one they yielded to the voice of truth, and
finally all — including Oliver Cowdery — confessed that they
had been misled by Satan, and that they knew the Lord's
words were not within the power of man to enlarge or
diminish.
Thus, promptly met, was an error rooted out. If
unchecked it would have led away some of those to whom
angels had administered. This showed to Joseph and to
all who were with him that constant vigilance was neces-
sary to protect even the best from the devices of the
evil one. They saw that it was against the elect that Satan
72 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
directed his strongest efforts; and that, when blinded by
his temptations, they were unable to see the way of
righteousness from which they were departing or the mire
of wickedness into which he was leading their feet. For
some of them the lesson was long effective; but with others
it was of but temporary avail. These latter seemed unable
to long restrain their own eager ambition and vanity, or
to close their ears to the tempting whispers of the ad-
versary, who constantly plotted their downfall.
While Joseph was laboring in Fayette to restore peace
to his brethren and prosperity to the cause, the sectarian
preachers were stirring up the minds of the people at
Harmony to think and act evilly toward the Prophet and
his work. As soon as Joseph went back to his home he
found that some persons who had been his friends now
spoke and bore themselves coldly toward him. A Methodist
minister in the neighborhood, taking advantage of Joseph's
absence, had spoken all manner of evil things concerning
him, and had succeeded in making the people distrust the
Prophet and the work of God. Isaac Hale and his family
were thus led away. When Joseph had left them to go to
Fayette, they were filled with kindness toward him and
his wife. They promised and accorded him protection
and help; and they were examining the principles of the
gospel so earnestly that Joseph hoped soon to welcome
his wife's family into the fold. But the Methodist min-
ister, who was influential with Isaac Hale, had whispered
such untruths concerning the absent Prophet, and Satan
had worked so effectively to blind the eyes and becloud
the understanding of the people of Harmony, that nearly
all were ready in persecution against Joseph. Isaac Hale
and his family were turned from the work, and became
from that hour its bitter opponents.
But Joseph must not falter in his labor. The branch
of the Church at Colesville was also suffering persecution ;
and the Prophet had to forget for the time all his personal
afflictions. In the latter part of August, 1830, he called
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 16
to his company JohnWhitmer, David Whitmer and Hyrum
Smith, and went to comfort and instruct Joseph Knight
and those who were associated with him. Such fierce
threats had been uttered by the mobocrats who sympa-
thized with the Presbyterian ministers, that Joseph and
his brethren felt that they were risking their lives in thus
journeying to Colesville. They joined together in mighty
prayer, beseeching God that He would blind the eyes of
their enemies, and permit them to go and come without
recognition by the wicked. The Prophet informed his
companions that their prayer would be answered, and the
angel of the Lord would protect them and cover with a
veil the vision of the murderous mob. They made no
effort to disguise themselves, but traveled through Coles-
ville to the house of Joseph Knight in broad day, meeting
a score of their persecutors. A reward had been offered
to anyone who would give information of Joseph's return;
and among those whom they met were many who would
gladly have earned the money, even at the expense of the
Prophet's life. But no one said a harsh word to Joseph
and his companions, and they were treated merely as or-
dinary strangers passing through the village. A meeting
of the branch was held that night, and the Spirit of God
was poured out upon the believers in rich abundance.
They were all made firm by the blessing given, and filled
with a determination to yield nothing of their faith, though
the anger of the wicked should be visited upon them
through robbery or even death.
The next morning Joseph and his party started back
to Harmony. A few hours after they were gone, a howl-
ing mob descended upon the house of Joseph Knight and
demanded the persons of the Prophet and his compan-
ions — swearing to visit vengeance in case of a refusal.
This mob was composed of some of the persons who had
been incited by sectarian ministers on other occasions to
offer violence to the Prophet. This time they were more
fierce than ever before. All day long they siirged around
74 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
the houses of Joseph Knight and his son Newel, cursing
and threatening. Nothing apparently would appease them
until, exhausted by their own evil passions, they were
forced to disperse.
The situation in Pennsylvania was not improved; and
soon it became apparent that the Prophet could not work
in the vicinity of Harmony with any degree of vigor and
freedom. Persecution flourished on every side. But
while the Prophet was suffering all this in body and in
spirit, a messenger brought an invitation from Peter
Whitmer, asking Joseph once more to come to Fayette
and establish his home. The peace of the Holy Spirit had
filled the hearts of the brethren at Payette, and they de-
sired to have the Prophet among them, to bless him with
their faith, and aid him by their works in the accomplish-
ment of his ministry. After a brief time Joseph Knight
came to Harmony. Seeing the situation of the Prophet,
he offered his wagon and horses for the conveyance of
Joseph's family to Fayette; and in the last week of
August, 1830, the Prophet found himself established once
more in the house of Peter Whitmer.
Wearied with the buffetings of the world, Joseph
would have been glad to enjoy a little season of peace;
but on his arrival at Fayette he found that the old spirit
of vanity had gained an entrance, even while he was
journeying from Harmony. One of the brethren* named
Hiram Page, had been inspired by the evil one to make
known revelations which he declared he had received for
the Church, through a stone he had, which were utterly
at variance with the spirit of the gospel and opposed to
the commands of God, previously given through Joseph,
the oidained Prophet. These tempting declarations made
by Hiram Page had met with the favor of Oliver Cowdery
and some of the Whitmers. They were deceived by him;
they had not yet fully learned that Satan could give reve-
lations. Joseph rebuked again, and this time more stern-
ly, the childish folly of these people. They were anx-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. i i>
ious to do right; and yet, without his presence, they were
certain to do evil. He demanded that they should forsake
the false doctrines which Hiram Page was promulgating,
and that all should unite with him in asking God to reveal
to them His will concerning the manner in which His
commands should be given to the world. The answer to
this petition was that revelation, given to Oliver Cowdery
early in September, 1830, establishing once and forever
the order of Heaven concerning God's revelations to men.
It was made known to Oliver therein that God had but one
head for His Church, and that head was His chosen ser-
vant, Joseph Smith. No one else should be appointed by
the Church until God should so direct, to receive com-
mandments ; for Joseph held the keys of the mysteries
and the revelations which were sealed, and through him
alone should they be given, until some other should be
chosen by the Lord in his stead. Oliver's place was de-
fined to him: He should receive revelations, but not to
be written by way of command to the Church. It was his
duty to labor in secret with his brother, Hiram Page, and
declare to him that the things which Hiram had written
as revelations from that stone, were not of God and that
Satan was deceiving him. When these things should be
finished, Oliver was told, it would be his duty to go to the
land of the Lamanites, or Indians, among whom the gos-
pel must be proclaimed, and by whose borders a city
should be built.
The word of God had its effect, and the evil which
had been done was repented of by all. Hiram Page and the
Whitmers forsook that which had been condemned and
asked forgiveness.
Besides settling the grand principle that individuals
can receive revelations for their own comfort, but not as
commandments for the Church, and that the chosen
Prophet who stands at the head shall alone have that
authority, the Lord in this revelation informed His chil-
dren of a purpose which to them must have been a source
76 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
of amazement. It was within this divine purpose that a
city of the Saints should be built; and yet here was but a
handful of people, with a Prophet persecuted, threatened,
driven, until he had no place to lay his head, except
through the charity of his brethren.
Doubtless these people, who were now reconciled to
Heaven and united with each other, felt wonder that they
should be called upon to engage in any labor likely to at-
tract anew the vengeful feeling of mobs. But whatever
worldly fear may have assailed them, they were soon
blessed and encouraged by another revelation, which fol-
lowed in a few days. It came through Joseph in the
presence of six elders at Fayette; and it declared that
they were chosen out of the world to proclaim the gospel
of Jesus Christ with the sound of rejoicing as with the
voice of a trump. They were informed that their duty
would be to bring to pass the gathering of God's people
upon the earth. This was the spiritual inception of that
great missionary movement designed by God to bring out
from every nation, kindred, tongue and people to the
land which He should designate as a place of gathering,
every honest soul who would have faith and accept the re-
quirements of the gospel.
CHAPTER XV.
THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE CHURCH — HARMONY AND
LOVE AMONG THE ELDERS— ACCESSIONS TO THE CONGRE-
GATION — THE MISSION TO THE LAMANITES — INDIVIDUAL
REVELATIONS — GOD'S CHOSEN SERVANTS IN MISSOURI.
The second General Conference of the Church opened
at Fayette, on the 1st day of September, 1830. Joseph
Smith presided, and he was supported by the presence,
the faith and prayers of nearly all the members of the
Church. The Conference lasted three days and was re-
markable for the power of the Spirit which was exhibited.
At this Conference Joseph Smith showei one of his
greatest characteristics, which was an especial willingness
to meet any issue which might be involved within his
labor as a prophet, or his life as an individual. He had
already won Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmers to a re-
jection of the destroying revelations enunciated by Hiram
Page; and Hiram, himself, had abandoned these false
manifestations. But the Prophet knew that the people
must learn within their own individual experience to be
guided by holy influence, and to know the voice of Christ
and for their individual rejection, the tempting whisper
of the evil one. His confidence in the inspiration which
flowed from Heaven, and then from heart to heart within
the congregation, was not mistaken. Every soul present
at this Conference, realized for himself that Satan had
been lying in wait to ensnare the feet of God's children,
and to bring upon their heads a greater condemnation
than the unbelieving world could know. Therefore the
conference officially and unanimously renounced the false
and pernicious doctrines sought to be foisted upon the
/8 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Church, and heard with joyful acceptance the revelation
from God declaring that His commands should come only
through His Prophet.
The men who held the holy Priesthood in the new and
everlasting covenant were learning to love each other with
a love greater than that of brothers. Separated from the
world no less by its hatred and murderous persecution
than by their own determination to keep the command-
meats of God, they realized that they must seek within
each other's society on earth the comfort and peace nec-
essary to sustain them through the waters of tribulation.
And at this Conference was felt an unspeakable influence
of union and mutual regard. People attracted by the
wondrous tidings, had come from afar to Fayette, and
many of them listened and believed. Baptisms for the
remission of sins, confirmations, for the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and ordinations to power and Priesthood, were
numerous, and the sacrament was administered to every
person who was present claiming membership in the body
of Christ. Faith and hope and charity abounded in the
midst of the congregation of Israel.
Revelations to David Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jum,
and John Whitmer, and to Thomas B. Marsh, were re-
ceived through the Prophet, announcing the will of the
Lord concerning these brethren. Of Peter Whitmer it
was decreed of God that he should soon journey with
Oliver Cowdery towards the land of the Lamanites. David
was rebuked for being worldly-minded; and he was or-
dered to attend to the ministry in the Church and before the
people dwelling in the regions around about Fayette, until
the Lord should give unto him further commandments.
The revelation formerly given through the Prophet to
Oliver Cowdery, enunciating the divine decree concerning
the Lamanites and the work to be accomplished among
them, created great interest in the minds of the elders of
the Church. The desire to learn more of this important
matter was intensified by the harmony which prevailed
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 79
during the Conference, and the flow of the Spirit resulting
therefrom. Joseph aud his brethren realized that the pur-
poses of God toward the Indians of this land were great
and far-reaching; and that the time would come when
they must receive the gospel and enjoy its blessings.
Many of the elders expressed a desire to take up the
work of the ministry among their brethren bound in dark-
ness and ignorance through the curse laid upon their
fathers; but before appointing any one to aid Oliver and
Peter Whitmer in this mission, Joseph inquired of the
Lord. His answer was a revelation appointing unto Par-
ley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson that they should go with
Oliver and Peter into the wilderness, among the Laman-
ites. Our Lord and Savior promised them that He would
go with them and be in their midst, and that nothing
should prevail against them; but they were commanded to
pretend to no power or revelation except tha+ which was
given to them by God, and unfolded by the Holy Spirit to
their understanding.
In the month of October, 1830, the elders appointed
to this work departed from Fayette, carrying with them a
copy of the reve'ations concerning their mission. Their
mission was more than to journey westward to the land
of the Lamanites; for each one of them was also under
the special command and ordination to proclaim the gos-
pel of Jesus Christ to every listening ear. And from the
hour that they depaited from Fayette, they lifted up their
voices by the wayside and left their testimony in every
village through which they passed.
In this same month of October a revelation was
given through the Prophet to Ezra Thayre and Morthrop
Sweet, calling them to labor in the vineyard, for the
eleventh hour had come. They were promised that
speech sacred and powerful, should be given unto them,
if they would have faith to open their mouths before con-
gregations. And in November, 1830, Orson Pratt, a
youth of 19 years, a brother of Parley P. Pratt — came
80 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
from his home in Canaan, New York, to Fayette, to ask
of the Lord for light and help concerning his individual
duty. The Prophet complied with the youth's desire and
inquired of the Lord for him; and in response a revela-
tion was given in Orson's behalf, which has since had a
wondrous fulfillment in his life:
Blessed are you, because you are called of me to
preach my gospel. * * * * j? 0Y beliold, verily,
verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I
shall come in a cloud with power and great glory, and it
shall be a day at the time of my coming for all nations to
tremble. But before that great day shall come, the sun
shall be darkened and the moon be turned to blood, and
the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall,
and great destructions await the wicked. Wherefore, lift
up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God hath
spoken. Therefore prophesy and it shall be given by the
power of the Holy Ghost.
These revelations to individuals concerning their
duty were necessary in that hour. Men, however faith-
ful and devoted to the Church, had not yet learned the order
of the gospel and its requirements upon them. And, that
they might not be suffered to rest in their own ignorance
and led astray by the whiles of Satan, the Lord, through
His Prophet, marked out the plain path which they were
to follow. The rich heritage of knowledge, which belongs
now to every faithful member of the Church, had to be
gained little by little through long and continuous prayer
to God, by the early acceptors of the Gospel.
The Lord suffered none to go astray for lack of com-
mandment. And, in the subsequent history of the men
whose names appear as early recipients of Divine reve-
lation, can be traced their faithfulness to Heavenly re-
quirement, or their yielding to the whispers of the evil
one. The Lord in His revelation through Joseph Smith
gave a mission to Orson Pratt which was nobly fulfilled.
No less particular and comprehensive was His command-
JOSEPH THE PEOPHET. 81
inent to other elders, but in many instances far different
was the result.
The work which the Prophet directed under these
revelations shows that the plan decreed by God for the
building up of His Church was undei stood by Joseph.
Viewed from a human standpoint, the intention of the
Prophet to send missionaries throughout all the land,
bearing proclamation concerning the new Church, would
have been a surprising ambition. What was he that he
should declare a gathering-place in the west; that he
should command men to lay down their daily toil, and go
forth as ministers proclaiming religious truth to a skeptical
world; that he should decree the building up of a city up-
on the Lamanite borders? Had Joseph Smith, at the
hour when he sent forth Oliver Cowdery and Parley P.
Pratt, with their companions into the western wilderness,
made avowal of such intentions, prompted by vanity and
a self-conceived desire to give himself and his cause
prominence, complete and humilating would have been his
failure. But if the declaration which he made had origin-
ated from such a source, he could not have been subjected
to greater ridicule than fell upon him when he avowed that
he and his coadjutors were but fulfilling the will of God —
who would not suffer His purposes to fail one jot or tittle.
To call men untrained by education and special prepara-
tion to go forth without purse or scrip, to preach the gos-
pel, was a departure from accustomed methods that in
many minds excited derision and contempt. True, this
was the practice in apostolic days, and was the course
taken by the Savior in the calling and sending out of His
disciples, but the fashion had become obsolete. Educa-
tion had become more essential for ministers than tho
Holy Ghost; a salary than a faith that would trust the
Lord to supply food and clothing.
Teaching of the doctrine of the gathering, also was a
new announcement to the world. The belief common in
Christendom was that man was as near to God in one
82 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
place as another, and He could be worshiped everywhere
alike. The idea, therefore of converts abandoning home,
with all its delightful associations and ancestral memor-
ies, and going to a new land, remote from kindred and
friend?, as a religious duty was a startling one and came
in contact with all pre-conceived views. Under the inspir-
ation, however, of the Lord, Joseph made it known as a
movement required of true believers by the Almighty to
prepare them for coming events. It was a bold procla-
mation, and viewed from a human standpoint, was likely
to interfere with successful conversions. But it was from
the Lord, and honest seekers after truth were led to look
to Him for the evidence of its heavenly origin. The
result came in due time, and should have been convincing
to every human soul. Of all the commandments enun-
ciated through Joseph Smith, nothing failed.
The Prophet, during the months of October and
November, himself labored in the ministry, encouraging all
by his upright and zealous life, making many converts,
and spreading heavenly wisdom among all the honest-in-
heart who would give ear to his words.
In the meantime, the missionaries to the West were
progressing with their labor. They reached Kirtland,
Ohio, and there made a brief stand, because the field
seemed promising. Many persons were converted to the
truth, and accepted the gospel. The Elders wrote at once
to the Prophet, informing him of these facts, and he
directed John Whitmer to proceed at once to Kirtland and
preside over the branch of the Church there.
When the Elders left Kirtland to proceed further into
the wilderness, one of the new converts, Frederick GL
Williams, accompanied them. They went as far as
Independence, Jackson County, Missouri; and were the
first of God's chosen servants in this dispensation to
set foot upon that consecrated soil.
CHAPTER XVI.
SIDNEY RIGDON AND EDWARD PARTRIDGE JOIN THE CHURCH
— JOSEPH COMMENCES THE TRANSLATION OF THE SCRIP-
TURES — SAINTS COMMANDED TO GATHER AT OHIO
JOSEPH MIGRATES FROM NEW YORK — THE KIRTLAND
SAINTS FALL INTO ERROR — GOD'S POWER MANIFESTED —
IMPORTANT REVELATIONS.
In December, 1830, two men came from Kirtland, Ohio,
to visit the Prophet at Fayette. They were Sidney Rig-
don and Edward .Partridge. Both had accepted the gos-
pel, as declared to them by the western missionaries, and
Sidney Rigdon had been baptized. After reaching Fay-
ette, Edward Partridge demanded and received baptism
under the Prophet's hands. These two men offered to
Joseph, for the work of the Lord, their time, their tal-
ents, and all they possessed. Like all the early members
of the Church, having not yet gained full understanding
of the purposes of God, having not yet gained confidence
in their own ability to rightly determine their conduct,
they desired that the Lord should give them His special
commands. Joseph prayed for revelation on their behalf,
and was speedily answered.
The Lord revealed many comforting and exalting
truths to Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge. To Sid-
ney He gave a special command that he should write for
Joseph. The Lord made known to Sidney what Joseph
already understood— that the Scriptures should be given,
even as they were in God's own bosom, to the salvation
of His elect. And soon after this time Joseph began a
new translation of the Scriptures. While he labored,
many truths, buried through scores of ages, were brought
84 JOSEPH THE PROPHET,
forth to his understanding, and he saw in their purity and
holiness all the doings of God among His children, from
the days of Adam unto the birth of our Lord and Savior.
But before the close of December, after Sidney had been
aiding Joseph some little time, the Lord required the^
Prophet to temporarily cease his work of translation. The
enemy of all truth was drawing his forces around about
Fayette to achieve the destruction of the Prophet, and
the downfall of the newly-founded Church. But they
were to be foiled. Fiiyette was not the region where th^
Lord designed His people to settle. Joseph's mind had
been led to look to the western country for that purpose.
Contact with Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge con-
firmed his inclination in that direction. The time had
now arrived when it appeared necessary for the accom-
plishment of God's purposes, that His people (now
increased to several score,) should have an abiding-place.
It was made known to Joseph by revelation from the
Lord, where this new resting-place should be. He him-
self, did not expect to escape personal suffering or per-
secution by this new move; nor was this in the provi-
dence of God concerning him. But he knew that every
migration made by him under the direction of the Al-
mighty had been followed by prosperity and increase to-
the work, and he, therefore, obeyed the command to move
to the place designated by the Lord, without hesitation or
doubt.
In the revelation now referred to, it was commanded
that the people of God should assemble in the State of
Ohio, and there await the return of Oliver Cowdery and
his fellow-missionaries from their eventful journey into-
the wilderness. Thus early in the history of the Church
was the destiny of the people outlined. Kirtland was to
be a stake of Zion; blessed by the presence of God's
anointed Prophet and the Apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ; glorified by a temple built to the name of the
Most Highland worthy to receive the ministrations in per-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 85
.son of the Only Begotten Son of the Eternal Father. And
yet it was to be but a temporary resting-place; for even
while the Saints were to gather to Kirtland, the western
missionaries were viewing the region in Missouri, yet to
be known as the centre stake of Zion, which was to be
built up and beautified for the visible presence of our Lord
and Savior.
Before organizing his company for the migration
from Seneca County, New York, into Ohio, the Prophet
•called a conference of the Church to be held in Fayette on
the 2nd day of January, 1831. With the opening of the
year, the Prophet saw a glorious prospect for the welfare
of the kingdom. And at this conference all present seemed
to partake of his faith and of the power of the Holy Spirit.
In a revelation given for the comfort and sustenance
of the Saints on this occasion, the Lord made known
that in secret chambers there was much plotting for the
•destruction of the Saints of God. The command was
renewed that they should go into Ohio, and some of the
reasons for this movement were made known. Encour-
agement was also given to the people that the Lord in-
tended to give unto them a land of promise — a land upon
which there should be no curse when the Lord should
^ome. If they would seek it with all their hearts the Lord
made a covenant with them that it should be the land of
inheritance for themselves and their children, not only
while the earth shall stand, but in eternity, no more to
pass away. It is upon this and kindred promises that is
founded the hope so tenaciously clung to by the Latter-day
Saints amid all the vicissitudes of their checkered career,
that they will yet inherit that land where the centre stake
of Zion is to be built.
In the latter part of January, 1831, Joseph departed
for Kirtland. In his company were his wife, and Elders
Sidney Rigdon, Edward Partridge, Ezra Thayer, and
Newel Knight. Before leaving Seneca County, and later
.at several points on their journey, they preached in pub
86 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
lie meetings to many searchers after the truth. On every
occasion new converts came forward and accepted bap-
ti-m at their hands. They reached their destination in the
opening of February; Joseph and his wife at once found
entertainment and comfort in the house of Elder Newel
K. Whitney, one of the converts made in Kirtland by the
western missionaries. For some weeks the Prophet dwelt
here, solaced and sustained by the faith and prayers of
some dear friends. But outside this little circle he found
much to cause him concern of mind.
The branch of the Church at Kirtland had become
numerically strong, for it numbered nearly one hundred
members. But they had been led into strange errors and
darkness. False spirits had crept in and had manifested
themselves in the subjugation of the physical and mental
powers of their victims — as Newel Knight had formerly
been controlled and possessed by the evil power at Coles-
ville. The Saints at Kirtland, not having had experience
to enable them to distinguish between the powers of light
and the powers of darkness, and believing these things to
be divine manifestations, were yielding to them and im-
periling their earthly and eternal salvation, when the
Prophet came and by his presence and the prayers and
faith of those Elders who accompanied him, banished all
these dark influences from the congregation of the Saints.
When the faith of the Saints was aroused and exercised,
the miracle which had been wrought atColesville was here
repeated. Joseph, by the power of God, rebuked the vile
one and his crew; and his brother Hyrum, under the
Prophet's direction, laid his hands on the sufferers' heads
and ca^t out the devils.
Immediately following the reconciliation wrought
among the Saints of God by their faith and these mir-
acles, a revelation was given from the Lord directing what
the Elders should do to receive His law, that they might
know how to govern His Church, and informing them
that he who received his law and doeth it is His disciple;.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 87
but he that sai h he reeeiveth it and doeth it not, is not
His disciple, and should be cast out from among them:
and also appointing unto Edward Partridge that he should
be ordained a Bishop, to leave his own affairs and devote
his time to the service of the Lord. This was on the 4th
of February, 1831. Five days later the word of the Lord
again came to the Elders of the Church, saying:
Ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preach-
ing my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your
voices as with the voice of a trumpet, declaring my word
like unto the angels of God ; and ye shall go forth baptiz-
ing with water, saying— Repent ye! Repent ye! For the
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
And from this place ye shall go forth unto the regions
westward; and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will
receive you, ye shall build up my Church in every region,
until the time shall come when it shall be revealed unto
you from on high, when the city of the New Jerusalem
shall be prepared, that you may be gathered in one, that
you may be my people and I will be your God.
In this revelation instruction was given that no one
was to preach or to build up the Church of Christ without
being properly ordained by one having authority; the
Elders were taught the principles which they should de-
clare, and they were particularly enjoined to teach by
the Spirit of the Lord; and if they received it not, they
were told not to teach; the moral law was plainly declared
and the dreadful consequence of unchastity was strongly
emphasized; he that sinned and repented not was to be
cast out; consecration of property to sustain the poor
was enforced; home manufacture was encouraged by the
requirements that dress should be plain and its beauty the
beauty which the Saints' own labor gave it; cleanliness
was commanded and idleness was condemned; the proper
treatment of the sick and the mourning for the dead were
made known; that glorious promise — the complete ful-
fillment of which has been a solace and a source of
unbounded joy to the Latter-day Saints through all the
S8 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET.
years which have intervened since it was given — was
made, "that those that die in rne [Jesus Christ] shall not
taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;" to those
who- had various infirmities and had faith, miraculous
healing was promised; honesty of dealing was enjoined;
instructions concerning the new translation of the Scrip-
tures were given; when asked for, revelation upon revela-
tion and knowledge upon knowledge were promised; the
converts in the east were to be taught by the Elders to
flee to the west to escape future trouble: the Saints were
to receive Church covenants sufficient to establish them in
Ohio and in the New Jerusalem; he that lacked wisdom
was encouraged to ask and he should be given liberally
and without upbraiding; commandments were given
respecting fornicators, adulterers, and other transgressors,
and the manner they should be dealt with.
Altogether this was a most important revelation. It
threw a flood of light upon a great variety of subjects and
settled .many important questions. Faithful men and
women were greatly delighted at being members of a
Church which the Lord acknowledged as His own, and to
which He communicated His word through his inspired
Prophet as he did at this time.
While Joseph was thus administering among the peo-
ple, in the same month of February, 1831, the Lord com-
manded him to call the Elders of the Church together
from the east and the west, and from the north and south,
to receive in solemn assemblage the pouring out of His
Spirit upon them. Pursuant to this requirement a Gen-
eral Conference of the Church was appointed to be held
in Kirtland on the 6th day of June, 1831.
At no time during the Prophet's career did the care
of the poor escape his attention or become a matter of
indifference to him. He was a man of large benevolence,
and his sympathies were quickly aroused by any tale of
sorrow or appeal for relief. In the most busy and trying
upviorls of his life those who went to him for counsel in
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 89
their troubles, always found him willing to listen, and
they were sure to receive encouragement and assistance.
To extend comfort to the bruised spirit, and to help the
needy and distressed appeared a constant pleasure to him.
His hospitality, also, was a marked feature in his charac-
ter. His house was always open to entertain the stranger.
One of the most cherished recollections of many of the old
members of the Church is the kindness with which they
were treated by * 'Brother Joseph," and the warm wel-
come he gave them to his house upon their arrival at Kirt-
land and other places where he lived.
In the revelation above referred to the Lord said:
Ye must visit the poor and needy and administer to
their relief, that they may be kept until all things may be
done according to my law which ye have received.
In other revelations which the Lord gave to Joseph,
frequent mention was made of the poor and the provisions
which should be made for their sustenance. Before leav-
ing Fayette, New York, the Church was commanded to
appoint certain men to look to the poor and the needy and
administer to their relief that they should not suffer.
Directly after reaching Kirtland, Joseph received a reve-
lation in which the Church was told by the Lord to
remember the poor and consecrate properties for their
support, that every man who had need might be amply
supplied and receive according to his wants. Again, the
command was given to "remember in all things the poor
and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for," the Lord
said, "he that doeth not these things the same is not my
disciple."
A*clear exposition of the duty laid upon every be-
liever in the gospel as revealed in this last dispensation,
if he had been blessed with abundance, to share of his
wealth with the poor, was given in a subsequent reve ation
in the following striking language:
90 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your sub-
stance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls;
and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation,
and of judgment, and of indignation — the harvest is past,
the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!
In this way the duty of the Saints towards the poor
— this practical and essential part of true religion — was
deeply impressed upon them and kept constantly before
them. In numerous paragraphs of the revelations given
to the Chuich during those early days, were the members
taught that the Lord intended His people to be equal in
temporal things — that class distinctions should not exist
among them because of the riches of some and the pov-
erty of others. The effect of those early revelations and
teachings upon this subject has been visible upon the
people from the time they were given to the present.
There has been a continual yearning for such a higher life
— such a blessed and heavenly condition of society — as
the practical adaptation and realization of the truths of
the revelations will bring about. Amid the dangers with
which many of the faithful members have thought the
Church has been menaced through the increase of wealth
of some of their number, they have always been cheered
by the assurance that the day was not far distant when
the injunction would be carried out, which the Lord
gave iu the days of which we write: "Let every man
deal honestly, and be alike among this people, and re-
ceive alike, that ye may be one, even as I have com-
manded you."
This has been the ideal condition to which all have
lifted their eyes. The effect has been that the wide dif-
ference which exists in the world between the rich and
the poor — with the one class wealthy beyond all safety and
reason, and the other class wretchedly poor even to
starvation — has always been felt to be terribly wrong and
contrary to the will of God. It was this bond of union
and mutual help in a temporal sense, established by the
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. f)l
command of Jehovah, and constantly taught by the
Prophet Joseph and his co-laborers, which enabled the
Saints through all the succeeding persecutions to move
and endure as one family, all suffering measurably alike.
Since the days of the Savior there has never been until
Joseph Smith's time, a system of social life in which
honorable poverty received such consideration and such
help. Concerning the poor at this early day the Lord
said:
They shall see the Kingdom of God coming in power
and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of
the earth shall be theirs.
For behold the Lord shall come and his recompense
shall be with him, and he shall reward every man, and the
poor shall rejoice; aud their generations shall inherit the
earth from generation to generation forever and ever.
The Church at Kirtland soon began to assume an
importance which alarmed its opponents. Previous to
this time falsehood and persecution had been directed
almost entirely against the Prophet himself. But as the
work extended and the Church increased in its member-
ship, the father of lies did not confine his attacks to
Joseph; he sent forth his countless emissaries to provoke
hatred and wrath against the Church itself. Yet nothing
tangible up to this time could be alleged against the
Prophet Joseph or the Church which God organized
through his instrumentality. Here at Kirtland, and at
this time, however, the foes of truth united in formulating
and publishing to the world all the calumnies which their
wicked imaginations could devise. None were more active
in this infamous business than certain fearful and lying
priests and their bigoted adherents; and it is from this
fruitful source of accusation and slander that subsequent
defamers of the Prophet's early life have drawn many of
their falsehoods.
To the Saints, however, there was compensation for
these attacks in the word of the Lord which thev
92 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
received in plainness and power at this time through the
Prophet. He was inspired to write many revelations
which were of priceless value to the Church. Principles
and doctrines, instructions and warnings, promises and
prophecies, were given with a simplicity and clearness
suited to the capacity of the humblest undestanding, and
yet the truths they contained are so sublime as to furnish
instruction and food for profound thought to men of the
highest attainments and the. most extensive cultivation.
Among several revelations given during this month of
March, 1831, there was one of more than ordinary inter-
est to the Saints then, and the lapse of time has only
added to its importance in the minds of all believers. It
was upon that never-failing subject of interest — the second
coming of the Savior. The signs which should precede
His coming and the wonderful manifestations which
should accmpany it — making the event the most awful
and yet the most glorious witnessed since the dawn of
•creation — were described with divine clearness. In this
revelation the Lord said:
Wherefore hearken and I will reason with you, and I
will speak unto you and prophecy, as unto men in days
of old; and I will show it plainly as I showed it unto my
disciples as I stood before them in the flesh, and spake
unto them, saying, as ye have asked of me concerning
the signs of my coming in the day when I shall come in
my glory in the clouds of heaven to fulfill the promises
that I made unto your fathers.
A rehearsal is then given of instructions and predic-
tions which He gave to His disciples, similar, but in
greater fullness to those recorded in the 24th chapter of
Matthew in the New Testament. For the comfort of His
ancient disciples He made promises, from which Saints in
every age can derive satisfaction and hope. He said;
And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me
shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 9o
come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.
* But before th^ arm of the Lord shall fall,
an angel shall sound his trump, and the Saints that have
slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud; wherefore,
if ye have slept in peace, blessed are you, for as you now
behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come
unto me, and your souls shall live and your redemption
shall be perfected, and the Saints shall come forth from
the four quarters of the earth. Then shall the arm of the
Lord fall upon the nations, and then shall the Lord set
his foot upon this mount and it shall cleave in twain, and
the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro, the Heavens
shall also shake. * * * For they that are
wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy
Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived; verily
I sa)' unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into
the fire, but shall abide the day, and the earth shall be
given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall mul-
tiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up
without sin unto salvation, for the Lord shall be in their
midst, and his ^lory shall be upon them, and He will be
their King and Lawgiver.
In the months of April and May, 18 "U, the Prophet
continued to labor among the people and numerous com-
mandments came from the Lord to him and other Elders,
especially directing their ministrations and constantly
resolving their doubts and removing their difficulties.
The harvest was being gathered; the Saints from New
York and other places had come up to Kirtland to join
with their fellow- worshipers; constant accessions were
being made, until on the 1st of June, 1831, a few days pre-
ceding the appointed General Conference of the Church,
the congregation of the Saints numbered nearly two
thousand souls.
CHAPTER XVII.
FOURTH GENERAL CONFERENCE— GOD DESIGNATES MISSOURI
AS THE PLACE OF HOLDING THE NEXT CONFERENCE —
TRANSGRESSION OF THE THOMPSON BRANCH — JOSEPH
GOES TO THE PLACE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM.
From all the dwelling-places of the Saints throughout the
land came representatives to attend the fourth General
Conference of the Church. It opened on the morning of
the 6th of June, 1831, in Kirtland, Ohio, under the presi-
dency of Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God. Fourteen
months had elapsed since the organization of the Church,
with six members. Now the congregation numbered two
thousand souls. For the marvelous manifestation of His
power which had brought these people to a knowledge of
the truth and had enabled them to become the recipients
of saving ordinances, the conference offered praise to Al-
mighty God. There was a great outpouring of the Spirit
upon the assemblage, and the Lord displayed His power
in the firm establishment of His word in the hearts of
His children. Joseph himself says, "The Lord grave us
power in proportion to the work to be done." Several
were selected by revelation and ordained to the High
Priesthood after the order of the Son of God, which is
after the order of Melchisedec. This was the first occa-
sion this Priesthood had been conferred upon the Elders
iu this dispensation. The cause was no longer the work
of a single family. Its glory, its promise and its tribulation,
as it must endure, were shared by a considerable com-
munity; but if the Saints had been all one family in the
flesh, they could not have been more united and har-
monious than thev were on the occasion of this confer-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 95
ence. Peace was in the household of faith, and through
huirtilty and prayer the blessings of Heaven were gener-
ally enjoyed.
In the midst of the congregation the Lord made
known, through Joseph, that their next conference should
be held far away, in the State of Missouri, upon the spot
consecrated by God unto the children of Jacob, the heirs
of His covenant. In the same revelation the Lord directed
the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon to prepare for their jour-
ney into the land of Zion; promising to them that
through their faith they should know the land which was
to be forever the inheritance of the Saints of the Most
High. Special instructions were also given to others of
the Elders, commanding them to go forth two by two
in the proclamation of the word of God by the way, to
every congregation where they could get a hearing.
Though the western frontier of Missouri was their destina-
tion, they were commanded to take different routes and not
build on each other's foundation or travel in each other's
track.
At this time the branch of the Church in Thompson,
Ohio, fell into darkness, and messengers came to the
Prophet asking him to inquire of the Lord for thpm.
This branch was composed of Saints who had moved from
Oolesville, New York, and who had received instructions
from the Lord, through the Prophet at the request of
Bishop Partridge, as to the manner in which they should
organize themselves to conduct their temporal affairs. In
response to the supplication which Joseph addressed to
the Lord upon this subject, humility and contrition were
required from the Saints at Thompson for their transgres-
sion, and they were directed to take their journey into the
regions westward, to near the line of the State of Mis-
souri and the then Indian country. Word had been re-
ceived from Oliver Cowdery and from Parley P. Pratt,
announcing their ministrations in the west, and giving in-
96 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET.
formation concerning the Indians or Lamanites, who dwelt
in the wilderness across the line from Missouri.
While Joseph was preparing to depart on the western
journey which he had been commanded to take, "William
W. Phelps, a man of considerable prominence in the
Church afterwards, came with his family from afar and
offered himself to do the will of the Lord. He had not
yet been baptized, but he was promised the remission of
his sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on
of hands, if he would submit to the ordinances with the
proper feeling, and he was to be ordained to do the work
of printing for the Church; and for this cause was required
to take his journey with Joseph and Sidney Rigdon to the
west.
It was on the 19th day of June, 1831, that Joseph
Smith departed from Kirtland, Ohio, to go up into Mis-
souri, the place promised as an inheritance for the Saints
and at which the New Jerusalem should sometime be
established. The Prophet was accompanied by Sidney Rig-
don, Martin Harris, Edward Partridge, W. W. Phelps,
Joseph Coe and A. S. Gilbert and wife. As rapidly as
possible they journeyed by wagon and stage and occa-
sionally by canal boat to Cincinnati, Ohio. From the
latter point they went to Louisville, Kentucky, by steam-
er, and were compelled to remain there three days waiting
for an opportunity to get to St. Louis; they reached St.
Louis by steamer, and there made a brief pause. From
this city on the Mississippi, the Prophet of God walked
across the entire State of Missouri to Independence, Jack-
son County, a distance of nearly three hundred miles as
traveled. This journey through the blazing heat of June
and Jtily was sweet to Joseph. There was a charm about
it which lightened toil. The pains and burdens were un-
worthy of notice in the delightful anticipation of seeing
the land for which the Lord, as had been shown to him by
vision and prophecy, had reserved so glorious a future.
He was accompanied by Martin Harris, William W.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 97
Phelps, Edward Partridge and Joseph Coe; while Sidney
Rigdon and A. S. Gilbert and wife went up the Missouri
River a few days later by steamboat. It was about the
middle of July when the Prophet and his party reached
Independence. 'During the month of their journey Joseph
had taught the gospel, in the cities, the villages and the
country places, in vigor and simplicity.
Joseph himself says that the meeting with his breth-
ren, who had long awaited his arrival upon the confines
of civilization, was a glorious one, moistened by many
tears. It seemed good and pleasant for brethren to meet
in unity and love after the privations which, for the sake
of obeying the commands of God, they had endured since
their separation.
CHAPTER XVIII.
ON THE BORDERS OF THE WILDERNESS — LAYING THE FIRST
LOG— DEDICATION AND CONSECRATION OF THE LAND OF
ZION AND TEMPLE SITE — BACK TO CIVILIZATION — SIGN-
SEEKING AND VIOLENCE.
When will the wilderness blossom as the rose? When
will Zion be built up in her glory? And where will Thy
temple stand unto which all nations shall come in the last
days?
The cry of the ancient prophets was repeated by the
Prophet of the last dispensation as he looked out upon the
wilderness ; and the Lord answered the supplication with
words of comfort and instruction. In a revelation given
immediately after Joseph's arrival with his party in July,
1831, the Lord designated Independence and the lands
surrounding as the promised spot, appointed and conse-
crated for the gathering of the Saints. It was the
revealed purpose of the Almighty to give to His devoted
Saints an everlasting inheritance in that region. Inde-
pendence was to be the centre place of Zion, and the voice
of the Lord indicated the exact spot upon which He would
have a temple erected to His glory.
In this revelation the Prophet and his brethren were
informed, also, concerning the division of lands among
the Saints, that all might be planted in their inheritances;
and special instruction was given to such of the Elders as
were required to perform special duties.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 99
On the first Sunday after the Prophet reached Inde-
pendence, William W. Phelps preached a sermon over the
western boundary line of the United States, Joseph and
the other Elders bein£ present. The strangers in the
congregation were Indians, negroes and many white citi-
zens who dwelt in the borders of the wilderness. Before
the meeting adjourned two believers were baptized into
the Church.
Within a week after this time the members of the
Coles ville branch of the Church, who had been instructed
to establish themselves in the land of Zion, arrived at
Independence. About the first of August the word of the
Lord was received, in which was made known many of
His purposes concerning this land; that it should be the
place upon which the Zion of God should stand, and
where a feast of fat things should be prepared for the
poor.
God promised that unto this land all nations should
be invited:
Firstly, the rich and the learned, the wise and the
noble; and after that cometh the day of my power; then
shall the poor, the lame and the blind, and the deaf, come
in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the
supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come.
It was in this revelation that the Lord made known
His will concerning all rightful submission of His Saints
to earthly powers. He said:
Let no man think he is ruler, but let God rule him
that judgeth, according to the counsel of his own will;
Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that
keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws
of the land:
Wherefore be subject to the powers that be, until He
reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies
under His feet.
Behold the laws which ye have received from my
100 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
hand are the laws of the Church, and in this light ye shall
hold them forth.
There was a disposition on the part of many, now
that God had raised up a Prophet, through whom the
word of the Lord could be given, to not act upon their
own agency, nor even exert their own powers in many
directions, without they received a command from the
Lord, or counsel from His servant to do so. The great
anxiety of the people to comply with lhe will of the Lord
engendered this disposition. But there was danger of
this being carried too far. The Prophet could under the
inspiration of the Almighty, give general laws and coun-
sel for the government and guidance of the Church, and
as occasion might require, receive special revelations
making known to individuals the will of the Lord con-
cerning them and their labors. But as the Church in-
creased in numbers there was necessarily a limit to this.
It was not the design of the Lord to keep His people in
leading strings; but to develop in them the attributes of
Deity inherited from Himself. It was for them, therefore,
to seek for His inspiration for themselves, and to exer-
cise their own faculties ever subject to the general laws
which He would give through him whom He had chosen
as the leader of His people.
Upon this subject His word came to the people at
this time on this wise:
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in
all things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same
is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he re-
ceiveth no r* ward.
Verily, I say men should be actively engaged in a
good cause, and do many things of their own free will,
and bring to pass much righteousness.
For the power is in them, wherein they are agents
unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they
shall in no wise lose their reward.
But he that doeth not anything until he is commande d ,
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 101
and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and
keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.
It was also declared that by the voice of Sidney Rig-
don the land should be consecrated and dedicated unto the
Lord, and that the temple site should be blessed and set
apart. Further, the Lord commanded that Joseph and
Oliver and Sidney, after the conference meeting of the
Church at Independence, should return to Kirtland and
pursue their work there.
This revelation closed with the words;
Verily, the sound [of the gospel] must go forth from
this place into all the world and unto the uttermost parts
of the earth — the gospel must be preached unto every
creature with signs following them that believe.
And behold the Son ot Man cometh.
The first log for a house as a foundation for Zion,
was laid at Kaw Township, Jackson County, Missouri,
twelve miles west of Independence, on the 2nd day of
August, 1831, In honor of the twelve tribes of Israel, it
was carried and placed in position by twelve men, the
Prophet being one of that number. This act was per-
formed by the Saints of the Colesville branch, whose
settlement in this region had been dictated through reve-
lation by the Almighty, and they were directed and
assisted in the same by Joseph himself. On the same day
Sidney Eigdon offered the dedicatory prayer, in which
this was consecrated to be the land of Zion, and to be a
gathering place of the Saints. The promise of that in-
spired prayer "will yet," according to the words of the
Prophet, u be unfolded to the satisfaction of the faithful."
It seemed to Joseph that when the curse should be taken
from this land, it would become one of the most blessed
places on the face of the earth.
On the following day, the 3rd of August, the spot for
the temple was dedicated. Only eight men were present,
102 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
but the Prophet says that the scene was most solemn and
impressive. The Elders who were named by Joseph as
having been so favored as to participate with him in this
most important work, were Sidney Rigdon, Edward
Partridge, W. W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Har-
ris and Joseph Coe. The prayer of dedication was offered
by the Prophet himself; and his promises and supplica-
tions to Heaven upon that spot have sanctified it for all
time, and while earth shall endure.
On the fourth day of August, 1831, the fifth confer-
ence of the Church and the first conference in the land
of Zion was held at the house of Joshua Lewis, in Kaw
Township, Joseph presided, and nearly if not quite all of
the members of the Church in that region were present.
These events which we have described — the selection
and dedication of the centre place of Zion and the spot upon
which the temple was to be erected, the formal laying of a
foundation for the first building, the holding of a confer-
ence, and the establishment of some of the Saints in the
land — attract ed butslight attention at the time out-ide of the
little circle of God's people. To merely human eyes, and
viewed from the standpoint of men who had no faith m
the promises of God, these must have seemed insignifi-
cant and, perhaps, contemptible proceedings to be the
beginning of such great works as were predicted. But
from the day that land was thus dedicated, unshaken
confidence in the perfect fulfillment of every promise
made concerning it, has filled the heart of every faithful
xnember of the Church. Towards it the eyes of thousands
upon thousands have been directed, around it their
dearest hopes for themselves and their posterity have
clustered, and their daily prayer has been that the Lord
would hasten the redemption of Zion and build up the
centi e stake thereof.
Having fulfilled the requirements of the Almighty,
Joseph and ten companion Elders departed from Inde-
pendence Landing on the Missouri River, for Kirtland r
JOSEPH- THE PROPHET. 103
Ohio. It was on the 9th day of August, 1831, that they
started to row down the river with a flotilla of sixteen
canoes, carrying themselves and their provisions.
The Prophet departed on this journey as cheerfully
as he had left the land of civilization for the wilderness.
If he knew the persecutions and tribulation into which
he was advancing, he made no sign to his fellow voyagers.
After three days of rowing down the Missouri, Joseph
and Sidney and Oliver were directed to journey by land
speedily to Kirtland, while the others were instructed
to proceed with the canoes.
On the day following this division, the 13th of
August, Joseph met several Elders who were on their
way to Independence. A meeting was held in which joy
abounded. After this the Elders parted, the Prophet and
his two companions continuing their journey and the
others advancing toward the land of Zion.
It was on the 27th day of August, 1831, that the
Prophet and Sidney and Oliver reached Kirtland. Dur-
ing their eventful absence they had enjoyed the Spirit of
inspiration to a great extent and had witnessed many
manifestations of God's power. Their faith had been
strengthened, and the purposes of the Almighty had been
made more clear to their comprehension. They had also
gained greater knowledge of the effort which Satan was
making to hide the light from the eyes of mankind. The
Lord had said to them :
Ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne
is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon, and
they rejoice for you.
After the return of the Elders to Kirtland the Saints
sought most earnestly for further instruction concerning
Zion and the gathering; and Joseph received a revelation
in which many things were made plain upon these sub-
jects, and they were shown the proper manner of eecurin^r
the land of Zion to the best advantage.
104 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
There had been some seeking after signs, and the
Lord said:
Wherefore, verily I say, let the wicked take heed,
and let the rebellious fear and tremble; and let the unbe-
lieving hold their lips, for the day of wrath shall come
upon them as a whirlwind, and all flesh shall know that I
am God.
And he that seeketh shall see signs, but not unto sal-
vation. * * *
But behold faith cometh not by signs, but signs fol-
low them that believe.
The ensuing few days were spent in earnest labor
among the Saints in Kirtland, many of whom were pre-
paring to go up to Zion, hoping to start in the ensuing
October. Joseph and Sidney were making ready to re-
moving to the town of Hiram in Portage County, Ohio,
where the Prophet intended to re-engage in the work of
translating the Bible. On the 12th day of September,
1831, Joseph departed from Kiitland to take up his abode
at Hiram, and here encountered anew and in violence the
malicious spirit which, too often, accompanied those who
seek after signs.
CHAPTER XIX.
METHODIST PKIEST CONVERTED BY A MIRACLE — WANTS
POWER TO SMITE — THE PROPHET AT HIRAM ENGAGED
EVENING AND MORNING STAR" — MAN-MADE COMMAND-
MENTS.
Joseph had learned and taught to his brethren that the
mission of the gospel was to bring peace and salvation to
all mankind. He himself ministered in the utmost hu-
mility among the Saints as well as among strangers, for
he was well aware that faith, meekness, patience and
tribulation went before blessing, and that God required
lowliness of heart before He exalted men ; but the lesson
which was so plain to him was never learned by some
w*ho became associated with the Church in that early day.
One of the first of those who sought for signs was Ezra
Booth, a man who had been a Methodist priest and had
become suddenly converted to the gospel by seeing a
miracle performed. Soon afterwards he asked that he
might be granted power of God that he might smite men
and make them believe the gospel of Christ. His con-
version had been by a sign, and he sought to minister by
means of signs. He wanted to go forth with the power
to bless in one hand and the power to curse in the other,
and save souls after a fashion he thought would be suc-
cessful, and entirely different from the way ordained by
the Lord. Early in the month of September, 1831, Ezra
Booth became disappointed and yielded to the spirit of
apostasy. Later he wrote a series of false and malignant
letters which aroused hatred against Joseph and the cause
and which culminated in a murderous attack.
106 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
It was on the 12th day of September, 1831, that the-
Prophet took up his abode with his family at Hiram T
Portage County, Ohio, at the residence of John Johnson,
a member of the Church, and father of Luke S. and Ly-
man E. Johnson, who afterwards were chosen to be two
of the Twelve Apostles. His daughter Marinda was
the wife of Orson Hyde, another- of the Twelve. Bi-
ram was about thirty miles in a south-easterly direction
from Kirtland. His first work was the preparation to
continue the translation of the Bible. In the meantime,
conferences were held and the word of the Lord received.
At the first conference, held at the house where Joseph
resided, October 11, 1831, it was decided that William W.
Phelps should go to Missouri, and on his way, at Cincin-
nati, should purchase a press and type for the publication
of a paper at Independence, to be called The Evening and
Morning Star. This conference was adjourned until the
25th day of that month, to meet at the house of Serems
Burnett, in Orange, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. During
the interval, certain Elders were designated and directed
to go forth among the other branches of the Church and
collect means to aid the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon while
engaged in translation of the Scriptures.
At Orange, there were in attendance at the adjourned
conference twelve High Priests, seventeen Elders, four
Priests, three Teachers, and four Deacons, in addition to
a large congregation of other members.
While at Orange, William E. McLellin. one of the
prominent Elders, desired the Prophet to obtain the will
of the Lord concering him. Joseph complied, and
through the word of the Lord which came as an answer
to his prayer, William E. McLellin received much encour-
agement for what he had done; but he was commanded
to repent of some things and was warned against adultery,
a sin to which, it appears, he was inclined. He was
promised [great blessings if he should overcome. This
instruction, direct from the Almighty, seemed to affect
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 107
him for a time, but the words did not sink deep into
his heart, because he socm rebelled and attempted to
bring reproach upon the Church of Christ. He joined
with others in whom the spirit of discontent was brooding,
to find fault with the revelations of the Lord which Joseph
received.
When the Prophet returned to Hiram, the Lord
condemned the folly and pride of McLellin and his sym-
pathizers, and said to them that they might seek out of
the book of commandments even the least of the reve-
lations, and appoint the wisest among them to make one
like unto it from his own knowledge. Filled with vanity
and self-conceit, McLellin sacrilegiously essayed to write
a commandment in rivalry of those bestowed direct from
God upon the Church. But he failed miserably in his
audacious effort, to the chagrin and humiliation of himself
and his fellows. The attempt was not without its benefits,
however, for the Saints were enabled to recognize the
difference between the works of God and the presump-
tuous efforts of men. Upon- this subject the Lord had
said that the Elders should be under condemnation if they
failed to bear record to the truth of His commandments,
should the one who attempted to imitate them not suc-
ceed in his effort; "for," He said, "ye know there is no
unrighteousness in them, and that which is righteous
cometh down from above, from the Father of lights."
The Elders obeyed this behest of the Lord and declared
in strength and power their absolute knowledge that the
revelations which had been bestowed upon the Church were
from God.
The Prophet held many special conferences during
October and November, 1831, with different branches of
the Church. He also pursued his work of translating the
Bible, Sidney Rigdon writing at his dictation. Important
revelations continued to be received for the comfort of the
Saints. On the 3rd day of November the commandment
now known and published in the book of Doctrine
108 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
and Covenants as the "Appendix" was given to the
Prophet at Hiram. Some of its sublime passages are as
follows:
Hearken and hear, ye inhabitants of the earth.
Listen ye elders of my Churco. together, and hear the voice
of the Lord, for he calleth upon all men, and he command-
eth all men everywhere to repent ;
For, behold, the Lord God hath sent forth the angel
crying through the midst of heaven, saying, prepare ye
the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the
hour of his coming is nigh,
When the Lord shall stand upon mount Zion, and
with him a hundred and forty-four thousand having his
Father's name written on their foreheads:
Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bride-
groom; go ye, go ye out to meet him,
For behold, he shall stand upon the Mount of Olivet,
and upon the mighty ocean, even the great deep, and
upon the islands of the sea, and upon the land of Zion;
And he shall utter his voice out of Zion, and he shall
speak from Jerusalem and his voice shall be heard among
all people,
And it shall be the voice as of the voice of many
waters, and as the voice of great thunder, which shall
break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be
found;
He shall command the great deep, and it shall be
driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall
become one land,
And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall
be turned back into their own place, and the earth sh <11
be like as it was in the days before it was divided.
And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the
midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh.
And they who are in the north countries shall come
in remembrance before the Lord, and their prophets shall
hear his voice and shall no longer stay themselves, and
they sha'l smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at
their presence.
And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the
great deep.
Their enemies shall become a prey unto them.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 109
And in the barren desert shall come forth pools of
living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be
a thirsty land.
And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto
the children of Ephraim my servants.
And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall
tremble at their presence.
And there shall they fall down and be crowned with
glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the
Lord, even the children of Ephraim;
And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.
Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God
up n the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the
head of Ephraim and his fellows.
And they also of the tribe of Judah, after their pahi,
shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord to dwell in
his presence, day and night, for ever and ever.
And now, verily saith the Lord, That these things
might be known among you, Oye inhabitants of the earth,
I have sent forth mine angel, flying through the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel, who hath appeared
unto some, and hath committed it unto' man, who shall
appear unto many who dwell on the earth;
And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation,
and kindred, and tongue, and people,
And the servants of God shall go forth, saying, with
a loud voice, Fpar God and give glory to him, for the
hour of his judgment is come;
*****
And unto him that repenteth and sanctifieth himself
before the Lord, shall be given eternal life;
And upon them that hearken not to the voice of the
Lord, shall be fulfilled that which was written by the
prophet Moses, that they should be cut off from among
the people.
And also that which was written by the prophet Mal-
achi: for, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an
oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly,
shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn
them up saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them
neither root nor branch.
Wherefore, this shall be the answer of the Lord unto
them:
110 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
In that day when I came unto mine own, no man
among you received me, and you were driven out.
When I called again, there was none of you to
answer, yet my arm was not shortened at all, that I could
not redeem, neither my power to deliver.
Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the
rivers a wilderness; their fish stinketh, and dieth for
thirst.
I clothe the heavens with blackness, and make sack-
cloth their c >vering.
And this shall ye have of my hand — ye shall lay down
in sorrow.
Behold and lo, there are none to deliver you, for ye
obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the
heavens; ye believed not my servants, and when they were
sent unto you ye received them not;
Wherefore they sealed up the testimony and bound
up the law, and ye were delivered over unto darkness.
These shall go away into outer darkness, where there
is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
In November Joseph arranged the commandments of
the Lord to the Church which he had received, in their
proper order, and sent them up into Missouri by the hands
of Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer, the purpose being
to issue a printed edition of them for their dissemination
among the Saints.
Though the translating of the Scriptures occupied his
attention at this time, yet the Prophet was not permitted
to confine himself entirely to this labor; he was often
required to go out and preach the gospel. Sidney Rigdon
accompanied him, and wherever they went they overcame
all opposition, confounding their enemies by a simple dec-
laration of the truth and putting to shame such of the
sectarian preachers as opposed them.
On the 4th day of December, 1831, while the Prophet
was at Kirtland, Newel K. Whitney was called by reve-
lation from the Lord to be a Bishop in that part of the
vineyard, and his 'duties in that important office were
specified.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. Ill
Ezra Booth had succeeded in securing space in the
columns of the Ohio Star, in which to publish his slan-
derous denunciations and falsehoods concerning Joseph
and the Church. In replying to these, and in vindicating
the people against them, the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon
were closely occupied for some weeks. Satan was busy
arousing enmity, and he used the apostate Booth and
others as his instruments to provoke persecution. They
were successful in filling the minds of many with dark-
ness and prejudice ; but Joseph and Sidney wherever they
appeared were enabled to allay much of the excited feeling
of bigotry.
At Hiram, on the 16th day of February, 1832, the
" vision'' which is recorded in the Doctrine and Covenats,
section 76 — one of the grandest revelations given by God
to man, in which the different degrees of glory held in
reserve by the Almighty for His children and the dreadful
fate which awaits the sons of perdition, were described
with felicitous clearness — was given to Joseph and Sidney
Rigdon. In writing this vision they leave this momentous
testimony:
And now, after the many testimonies that have been
given of him [Jesus Christ], this is the testimony last of
all, which we we give of him, that he lives;
For we saw him, oven on the right hand of God, and
we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only
Begotten of the Father —
That by him and through him and of him the worlds
are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are
begotten sons and daughters unto God.
As the numerical strength of the Church increased,
the Lord renewed his instructions concerning the welfare
of the poor of His people. In a revelation given in the
month of March, 1832, it was declared that a storehouse
must be established for the needy 7 among the Saints.
This revelation also declared the Lord's will and purpose
112 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
to yet establish a city in the land of Zion to secure
equality of earthly blessings among the Saints.
The wondrous enlightenment wrought by the revela-
tions and the instructions of the past year had been shared
by Joseph with his brethren. Nor did the knowledge of
the great work stop with the Prophet and the believers.
It extended to the opponents of the Almighty's purposes,
and they were stirred up to intensity of hate. The wider
the influence of the Prophet and his mission, the greater
the scope of salvation thus ordained, the fiercer flamed
out the fire of persecution. The murderous spirit of evil
which had followed close upon Joseph's footsteps for
several years threw its shadow on his humble home at
Hiram. He had received a letter from Missouri announc-
ing the arrival of the brethren at Independence and con-
taining a prospectus for The Evening and Morning Star,
and he was making preparation to visit the land of Zion
when the fury of mobocratic violence broke loose upon
him.
During his residence at Father Johnson's he had held
many meetings in the evenings and on the Sabbath and
had baptized a number of persons. Olmsted Johnson, a
son of Father Johnson, who had come upon a visit, heard
the gospel from Joseph' slips; but the^young man would not
"accept it. Joseph was led to warn him that if he rejected
the truth, and should depart without obeying the require-
ments of the gospel, he should never return nor see his
father's face more in this life. Olmsted was obdurate
and left Hh-am for the Southern States and Mexico. On
his way homeward he was stricken with illness in Virginia
and died there — a literal fulfillment of the warning he had
^received.
Ezra Booth exerted a baleful influence upon three
others of the Johnson boys who had already accepted the
gospel, and they grew weak in the faith, and finally,
together with Simonds Eider, apostatized and opposed the
Prophet.
CHAPTER XX.
A NIGHT OF FURY— THE MURDEROUS MOB AT HIRAM— -JOSEPH
DRAGGED FROM HIS RED, AND IS STRIPPED, BRUISED AND-
ALMOST SLAIN BY A PROFANE AND DRUNKEN CROWD LED
BY APOSTATES AND SECTARIAN MINISTERS.
When the Prophet went to Hiram he carried with him
twin children, the offspring of John Murdock, which
Emma adopted when they were nine days o]d, intending
to rear them in place of twin children of her own which
had died. These babes were now eleven months old. On
the 25th of March they were very ill, and the Prophet and
his wife were anxiously nursing them and getting only a
little broken rest. At a late hour- of the night Joseph
was lying down and slumbering heavily from weariness,
when Emma heard a gentle tapping on the window. Her
senses were dulled by sleepiness, and she paid little atten-
tion to the noise and made no inquiry nor investigation.
A few moments later an infuriated mob burst ihe door
open and surrounded the bed whereon Joseph lay in deep
slumber. Ten or twelve of them had seized him and
were dragging him from the house when Emma screamed.
The cry awakened the Prophet, and in an instant he
realized his position. As they were taking him through
the door he made a desperate struggle to release himself.
Getting a limb clear for a moment, he kicked one of the
mob with such force as to fell the wretch to the ground.
But before Joseph could bring his superior physical
powers to bear, he was confined again within the grasp
of numerous hands; and with a torrent of oath?, in which
the mobbers profaned the name of Deity, they declared
that they would kill him if he did not cease his struggles.
10
114 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
As they started around the house with hini, the niobocrat
whom he had kicked came thrusting his bloody hands
into the Prophet's face and shrieked at him with frightful
execrations. Then they seized his throat and choked him
until he ceased to breathe. When he recovered his senses
from this inhuman attack he was nearly a furlong from
the house, and there he saw Sidney Rigdon stretched
upon the ground where the mob had dragged him by
the heels. The Prophet thought that his companion was
dead.
These fiendish men continued to curse him and to
blaspheme the name of Deity. They told him to ask his
God for help, for they would give him none. They then
dragged him nearly another furlong into a meadow and
began calling to each other, continuing, however, to utter
threats and oaths at him. By this time many additions
had been made to their number. One cried out asking if
Joseph was not to be killed. A group gathered at a little
distance to hold a council and fix upon the Prophet's fate;
while several of their number held him suspended in the
air lest his person should touch the ground and thereby
give him an opportunity to get a spring and wrench him-
self loose. After the council was concluded, the leading
mobocrats declared that they would not kill him but
would strip him naked and whip and tear his flesh. One
cried out for a tar bucket, and when it was brought
another exclaimed with a wicked oath, "Let us tar up his
mouth!" They thrust a reeking tar paddle into his face
and attempted to force it down his throat, but he kept
his teeth tightly clenched. Then they tried to force a
phial containing aquafortis into his mouth, but it broke
between his lips. Not content with inflicting all this
violence upon the Prophet's helpless form, one of the
inhuman wretches, as though he was a devil incarnate,
fell upon him and began to tear like a wildcat, at the
same time screaming with a curse, ' 'That's the way the
Holy Ghost falls on folks!"
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 115
While the mob were bruising him they mentioned
two names that were familiar to him, "Simonds" and
"Eli."
After they left Joseph, he attempted to rise, but fell
back again from pain and exhaustion. He succeeded,
however, in tearing the tar away from his face so that he
could breathe freely, and shortly afterward he began to
recover. Arising, he made his way toward a light and
found that it was from the house of Father Johnson where
he lived. Emma saw his bruised form covered with tar,
and thinking him to be fatally mangled she screamed
and fainted.
Securing some covering for his person, the Prophet
entered the house, and spent the night in cleansing his
body and dressing his wounds.
Before making the assault upon Joseph, the mob had
locked Father Johnson in his room. He had called for
his wife to bring his gun, saying that he would blow a
hole through the door, and at this the mob fled. As soon
as he could force an egress, Father Johnson rushed from
the house, seizing a club as he ran. He overtook the
party which had captured Sidney Rigdon, and knocked
one man down, and was about to smite another to the
earth, when the mob deserted their first victim to attack
the heroic old man. This diversion saved Sidney only for
a brief time. The mob soon returned to him and inflicted
serious pain and indignity upon him. They dragged him
by his heels and left his head to strike upon the rough
and frozen ground. By such barbarous treatment his
scalp was lacerated and his body bruised, and he was
driven into a delirium.
The next morning, being the Sabbath, the people
assembled at the usual hour of worship. With them came
some of the mobbers, Simonds Rider, an apostate and
Campbellite preacher, leader of the mob; one MeClentic,
son of a Campbellite minister; and Pelatiah Allen, Esq.,
who had given the mob a barrel of whisky to fill them with
116 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
the devilish daring necessary for their crime. Many others
of the mob were also in attendance.
Wi h his flesh all bruised and scarred, Joseph went
to the meeting and stood before the congregation, facing
his assailants of the previous night calmly and manfully.
He preached a powerful sermon and on the same day
baptized three believers into the Church.
This mob was chiefly composed of religious men,
principally sanctimonious Campbellites, Methodists and
Baptists, besides several apostates from the Church.
They continued to watch the house of Father Johnson,
and even the death of one of the helpless little children,
which occurred on theJFriday following from the exposures
of the night of the attack, could not dissuade the demoniac
men from their purpose. Indeed, the death of this poor
little infant seemed to act upon them like a taste of blood up-
on a tiger. It drove them to a murderous frenzy. The spirit
of mobocracy spread through all that region of country and
was particularly fierce at Kirtland. Sidney Rigdon fled
to the latter city from Hiram, taking his sick family; but
after a brief rest was compelled to again flee and went to
Chardon. The Prophet himself remained in Hiram during
another week.
CHAPTER XXL
departure of the prophet from hiram for the conse-
crated land in missouri — accepted as the president
of the high priesthood — returning from zion, an
attempt is made to poison him — saved under bishop
whitney's administration.
On the 2nd day of April, 1832, Joseph started from Hiram
for Missouri. He was carried by Elder George Pitkin in
the latter's wagon to Stubenville, whence the Prophet and
Sidney, who had joined him in the meantime, took
passage on Wednesday, the 5th of April, 1832, on
board a steamboat for Wheeling, then in the state of
Virginia.
After departing from Hiram, Joseph directed his wife
to go to Kirtland and await his return; and this she did,
finding help and consolation with his friends.
From Wheeling he soon resumed his journey towards
Zion, and reached there on the 24th day of April, 1832.
Two days later, in a solemn assemblage of the Church,
Joseph was sustained as President of the High Priesthood.
Bishop Edward Partridge extended the right hand of fel-
lowship and recognition to Joseph in the office to which he
had been elected, and the Saints ratified the deed in an
impressive and unanimous manner.
The Prophet found the Saints in Zion surrounded by
people filled with the spirit of murder and rapine, and he
sought with all the vigor and faith of his soul to unite the
people in the .bonds of love and mutual trust and help,
that thus they might be enabled to withstand the assaults
of their enemies. It was characteristic of him and of the
revealed work, that he should teach his brethren at this
hour, as always before and always after until the hour of
118 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
his death, the potency of union. His purpose was then,
as ever, to show the Saints the strength of a passive
defense, coupled with kindness toward all humanity.
Joseph had the personal strength and courage which,
when not controlled by some mighty influence, make a
man ambitious to overcome and punish any cruel foe by
the arm of flesh, and yet in all his sufferings and minis-
trations he never advised or permitted any aggression
upon the law or any insult to rightful authority.
The Prophet visited the Saints in Kaw Township and
was received with delight. The people there loved him
and rejoiced in his presence and in his teachings.
On the 1st day of May, 1832, the council of the Elders
was continued at Independence, and the order was made
that three thousand copies of the "Book of Command-
ments" should be printed.
Five days later, Joseph departed from Independence
for Kirtland in company with Sidney Rigdon and Newel
K. Whitney. On their return, Bishop Whitney, while
attempting to jump from the coach as the horses were
runnning away, had his leg and foot broken in several
places. Joseph had succeeded in getting out unhurt, and
he took the Bishop to a public house at Greenville, Indi-
ana, remaining with him there while Sidney went forward
to Kirtland. Four weeks elapsed and still Newel was
unable to proceed. Several times during that period,
when the Prophet walked out into the adjoining woods he
saw newly made graves ; and one day at dinner he was
seized with a spasm caused by poison which had been
administered, to him in his food with murderous intent.
He rushed to the door and quantities of blood and poison-
ous matter gushed from his mouth. The muscular con-
tortion induced by the agony was so great that his jaw
was dislocated. When the convulsion had partially
passed, he wrenched his jaw back to its place with his
own hands, and made his way to the couch of Bishop
Whitney as speedily as possible. The Bishop adminis-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 119
tered to hiro, and he was healed instantly, although the
poison had been so quick and strong in its effect as to
loosen the hair upon his head.
The Prophet felt that they must flee from this spot at
once, and asked his helpless brother to promise that he
would be ready to start for Kirtland the next morning.
Joseph declared to Bishop Whitney that if he would agree
to this plan a wagon should be in waiting the next morn-
ing to transport them to the river bank, where they should
find a ferry boat to take them quickly across. On the
other side they should meet a carriage ready to convey
them directly to the boat landing. Here a steamer should
be ready to start, and at ten o'clock in the morning they
should be steaming up the river. When the Prophet was;
led to make this prediction no arrangements had been
made, neither were there any afterwards made by him to
carry out this programme of travel. But animated by
faith, Bishop Whitney gave his promise, and Joseph
remained with him all night. Early the next morning
they departed, and at ten o'clock, after having found the-
way opened, exactly as the Prophet was led to promise,,
they were sailing up the river, with the Bishop's limb-
sound enough to bear the journey without pain.
It was June, |1832, when they arrived at Kirtland^
where Joseph found his wife awaiting him.
CHAPTER XXII.
BRIGHAM YOUNG EECEIVES THE GOSPEL — HIS MEMORABLE
MEETING WITH THE PROPHET — HIS CONSTANT DEVOTION
— U THAT MAN WILL YET PRESIDE OVER THE CHURCH " —
A REVELATION ON PRIESTHOOD — JOSEPH VISITS THE
EASTERN STATES — HIS NUMEROUS LABORS — PROPHECY
CONCERNING THE CIVIL WAR — ITS SUBSEQUENT FULFILL-
MENT.
While the Prophet was on his way to Missouri in the
month of April, 1832, an event occurred afar off in Men-
don, Monroe County, New York, which was the forerun-
ner of mighty help to Joseph and strength to the Church.
It was the baptism of Brigham Young on the 14th day of
April, 1832, by Elder Eleazer Miller. This destined suc-
cessor of the Prophet had heard and accepted the truth.
His sincerity and force of character were visible at his
conversion, and after his confirmation at the water's edge
as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, he was or-
dained on the same day to the Melchisedec Priesthood.
In the month of June when Joseph returned to Kirt-
land from Missouri he met and gave the hand of fellow-
ship to Brigham Young, who had journeyed to Kirtland
to hear the voice of the Prophet of God A most memor-
able meeting was this of these two men whose names and
fame were to become so indissolubly united ! Of all the
men of their generation they were to be the most loved
and hated, their words and deeds were to be heralded to
every corner of the earth, and, beyond those of all their
-contemporaries, were to make the deepest impress upon
the world. If the fact be not fully recognized and
acknowledged to-day, the hour is not far distant when it
will be, that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were the
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 121
two greatest men of their time. Providence had assigned
each his labor, and each faithfully performed the allotted
task. Joseph, under the direction of the Almighty, mark-
ed out the design and laid the foundation deep and strong;
and Brigham, inspired from the same source, builded
upon it carefully and judiciously. The labor of one was
designed to be the fitting complement to the other.
At this first visit the Prophet Joseph heard, for the
first time, the gift of speaking in tongues. Brigham had
received this gift, and at a meeting in the evening the
Spirit rested upon him and he spoke in tongues. The
Prophet received the gift of interpretation, and he said it
was the language spoken by our Father Adam. The Spirit
also rested upon him and he spoke in tongues. After this,
the gifts of speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues
were received and enjoyed by many of the Saints at Kirt-
land and elsewhere.
From that day Joseph and Brigham were friends, at-
tached to each other by a tie stronger and closer than that
of earthly kinship. From that time on for twelve years
Brigham gave earnest help to Joseph and demonstrated
by his consideration and devotion that he knew the au-
thority under which the younger man was acting. There
was a time to come when Oliver Cowdery — the fellow
apostle of Joseph, who, with him, had received the Aaro-
nic Priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist, and
the Melchisedec Priesthood under the hands of the Apos-
tles Peter, James and John, heavenly messengers sent ex-
pressly to confer these two Priesthoods upon them — would
waver in his fidelity to the truth and would oppose Joseph
and leave the Church. Not many years from +he time of
which we write Sidney Rigdon, the trusted counselor, the
elequent spokesman of the Prophet, who with him had be-
held in vision the glories of the eternal world and borne
solemn testimony that he had seen the Savior and knew
that He lived, would turn his back upon and be ready to
desert Joseph and to conspire against the Church. But
122 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
not so with Brigham Young; but not so with the Prophet's
brother Hyrum, and many others less eminent than these
two. Hyrum Smith was the embodiment of unswerving
fidelity and fraternal love. Ever by his brother's side to
aid and comfort him, life had no charms for him when
danger threatened the Lord's anointed. He had a mother
to whom he always rendered dutiful and loving obedience;
he had a wife and children upon whom he lavished a
wealth of affection: he had brothers and sisters to whom
he was kind, considerate and helpful; but for his brother
Joseph he had a love which over-mastered all these affec-
tions; it surpassed the love of woman. When death stood
in the pathway and menaced with its fearful terrors Joseph
and those who stood by him, the Prophet besought Hyrum
to stand aside and not accompany him. But, however
obedient he might be to the slightest wish of his brother
in other directions, upon this point he was immovable.
If Joseph died, they would die together. As in his life,
so in his death, Hyrum Smith exhibited the perfection of
human love.
With similar fidelity and unshaken integrity Brigham
Young, from the time of this meeting in Kirtland, cordi-
ally sustained the Prophet Joseph in all his ministrations
up to the day of his martyrdom. Many times during the
ensuing twelve years, and especially during the great de-
fection and apostasy at Kirtland, he had occasion, because
of his devotion to Joseph, to exhibit the decision of char-
acter and moral courage for which he was so distinguished
in after life. When hesitation and doubt were far too
common, and many leading men faltered and fell away,
Brigham stood in the midst of the storm of opposition like
a tower of strength. The remark which he made concern-
ing some of his brother apostles at Nauvoo, after the
death of the Prophet Joseph, when he said "their hands
had never trembled and their knees had never shook in
maintaining and defending the principles of righteousness"
applied with peculiar significance to himself and his own
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 123
past connection with the work of God. But it was not in
Joseph's lifetime alone that Brigham manifested his ad-
miration for and devotion to his great friend. During the
long period — thirty-three years — which he outlived the
Prophet (when a common man under his circumstances
might have been tempted to criticise the acts or peculiari-
ties of his predecessor, or to contrast his own manage-
ment of affairs with that of Joseph's) no one ever heard a
word drop from his lips that was not worthy of the two
men. His own success and great and world-wide promin-
ence never diminished nor obscured the deep-rooted love
and loyalty he felt towards the man w T hom God had chosen
to hold the keys of this last dispensation and to be his
file-leader in the Priesthood.
It appears that the Prophet must have had something
shown to him on this occasion concerning the future of
Brigham Young; for Heber C. Kimball and Joseph Young,
who both accompanied Brigham to Kirtland, each testified
in his lifetime that the Prophet Joseph said to those who
stood around him, "that man," pointing to Brigham
Young who was a little distance off, "will yet preside over
this Church." Levi W. Hancock, also, frequently testified
that he heard the Prophet make this same statement con-
cerning Brigham.
In July Joseph was gratified to receive the first num-
ber of The Evening and Morning Star from Independence.
Light was already beginning to radiate from the land of
Zion.
A few weeks later Elders began to come in from their
missionary labors in the Eastern States. Their reports
were interesting, as from them could be gathered the na-
ture of the difficulties to be contended with in bringing the
peop e to a knowledge of the truth. The importance of
this missionary work was apparent. The message which
the Lord had given to His servants had to be declared to
all people. The Prophet sought for definite instructions
concerning this labor. On the 2 2nd and 23rd of September,
124 JOSEPH THE PROPHE1.
1832, he received the word of the Lord defining some of
the powers of the Priesthood and giving consolation and
strength to such as should be called to go forth in the
ministry.
Let no man among you * * * from this hour
take purse or scrip that goeth forth to ploclaim this gospel
of the kingdom. * * *
And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I
will go before your face: I will be on your right hand
and on your left, and* my Spirit shall be in your hearts,
and mine angels round about you to bear you up. * * *
Search diligently and spare not; and woe unto that
house, or that village or city that rejecteth you, or your
words, or your testimony concerning me. * * *
For I the Almighty have laid my hands upon the na-
tions, to scourge them for their wickedness:
And plagues shall go forth, and they shall not be
taken from the earth until I have completed my work,
which shall be cut short in righteousness,
Until all shall know me, who remain, even from the
least unto the greatest, and shall be filled with the knowl-
edge of the Lord, and shall see eye to eye, and shall lift
up their voice, and with the voice together sing this new
song, saying —
The Lord hath brought again Zion,
The Lord hath redeemed his people, Israel,
According to the election of grace,
Which was brought to pass by the faith
And covenant of their fathers.
The Lord hath redeemed his people,
And Satan is bound and time is no longer:
The Lord hath gathered all things in one:
The Lord hath brought down Zion from above.
The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath.
The earth hath travailed and brought forth her
strength :
And truth is established in her bowels:
And the heavens have smiled upon her:
And she is clothed with the glory of her God :
For he stands in the midst of his people :
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 125
Glory, and honor, and power, and might,
Be ascribed to our God; for he is full of mercy,
Justice, grace and truth, and peace.
For ever and ever, Amen.
%z ^ ^ ■%. jjc ;f:
Go ye forth * * reproving the world in righteous-
ness of all their unrighteous and ungodly deeds, setting
forth clearly and understanding^ the desolation of abomi-
nation in the last days;
For, with you, saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend
their kingdoms: I will not only shake the earth, but the
starry heavens shall tremble;
For I, the Lord, have put forth my hand to exert the
powers of heaven: ye cannot see it now, yet a little while
and ye shall see it, and know that I am, and that I will
come and reign with my people.
Early in the month of October the Prophet departed
with Bishop Whitney for the Eastern States, and made
hurried visits to the cities of Albany, New York and
Boston, returning to Kirtland on the sixth day of Novem-
ber, 1832. Three days previous to the latter date, on
November 3rd, a son was born to him, whom he named
Joseph.
To one not divinely sustained the burden of work now
laid upon Joseph would have been oppressive. The little
time he could snatch from the labors of the ministry was
devoted to diligent labor upon the translation of the Bible;
and in addition he was planning for the further progress
of proselyting work and for the upbuilding of Zion, in
Missouri. Upon this latter subject he bestowed much
anxious thought. He communicated with the Elders there
by letter, and gave them careful instruction concerning
the distribution of inheritances to the Saints and the
general management of affais in that laud
On the 25th day of December, 1832, the ollowing rev-
elation and prophecy were given to Joseph, at Kirtland,
Ohio:
Verily, thus saith the Lord, concerning the wars that
126 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of
South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the
death and misery of many souls.
The days will come that war will be poured out upon
all nations, beginning at that place;
For behold, the Southern States shall be divided
against the Northern States, and the Southern States will
call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as
it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in
order to defend themselves against other nations; and
thus war shall be poured out upon all nations.
And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves
shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled
and disciplined for war;
And it shall come to pass also, that the remnants
who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and
shall become exceeding angry, and shall vex the Gentiles
with a sore vexation ;
And thus, with the sword, and by bloodshed, the in-
habitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and
plague, and earthquakes, and the thunder of heaven, aud
the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants
of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation,
and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the con-
sumption decreed hath made a full end of all the
nations; * * *
Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be notmoved,
until the day of the Lord come; for behold it cometh quick-
ly, saifch the Lord. Amen.
This revelation was made known at that time to the
Saints and was a subject of constant remark in the Church;
in 1851 it was published to the world and obtained a some-
what wide circulation. Nearly twenty-nine years after its
date, its wondrous fulfillment began when the first gun
was fired at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Since that
time wars and rumors of wars have prevailed throughout
the world. Peace has fled, and in view of all the Lord
has said, it is not too much to expect it has fled no more
to return till the reign of righteousness shall begin.
It is strange that the solemn warning uttered by
Joseph in 1832 should have gone unheeded. His prophecy
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 127
was not without its purpose. The Lord inspired his mind
with visions of the future and with power to view the
paths by which the nation might escape the impending
disasters, but like other parts of His message of salvation
to the human race this warning also was rejected.
CHAPTER XXIII.
ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS — THE
TRANSLATION OF THE SCRIPTURES — THE WORD OF WIS-
DOM REVEALED — JOSEPH SELECTS COUNSELORS — THE
SAVIOR AND ANGELS APPEAR AFTER THE ORDINATION —
LANDS PURCHASED IN AND AROUND KIRTLAND.
The warnings, of which he had been the chosen pro-
claimer to the world, imbued the Prophet with a sense of
mankind's physical danger, as he had formerly been
made to understand their spiritual jeopardy; and we find
from all his writings and utterances of this period that he
repeated often and in various ways the message of
alarm.
It was a busy winter of 1832-3 for Joseph. He
organized a school of the Prophets, wherein such of the
members of the Church as held the Melchisedek Priest-
hood and were worthy were permitted to assemble and
receive instruction day by day in the things of God. He
continued his translation of the scriptures; he directed
letters to the Saints in Zion, exhorting them to repent-
ance, to faithfulness ani purification, admonishing them
of the punishment in store for workers of unrighteous-
ness; and he sat in many conferences in which the gifts
of the gospel were made manifest in recognition and
blessing of the humility of the people.
On the 22nd day of January, 1833, there were many
manifestations of the Holy Spirit at a conference at Kirt-
land. The Prophet and many of his brethren of the
higher Priesthood, together with several other members,
both men and women, spoke in' tongues. The restoration
of this gift to man gave great joy to those who received
it; but the gift of speaking in tongues was esteemed by
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 129
the saints of that early day as a reward to patient trust
and meekness and not as a necessary sign or proof of
truth.
On the second day of February, 1833, the Prophet
completed, for the time being, his inspired translation of
the New Testament. No endeavor was made at that time
to print the work. It was sealed up with the expectation
that it would be brought forth at a later day with other of
the scriptures. Joseph did not live to give to the world an
authoritative publication of these translations.* But the
labor was its own reward, bringing in the performance a
special blessing of broadened comprehension to the
Prophet and a general blessing of enlightenment to the
people through his subsequent teachings,
The Lord revealed His purpose in this matter when
He said to Joseph at a later time :
And verily, I say unto you, that it is my will that
yon should hasten to translate my scriptures, and to
obtain a knowledge of history, and of countries, and of
kingdoms, of laws of God and man, and all this for the
salvation of Zion. ?, t
On the 27th day of February, 1833, the Prophet
received the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom,
warning the people to abstain from impurities and gross-
ness in their food and drink, and promising them rich
blessings of physcial strength and protection from the
power of the adversary as a reward for their obedience.
The requirement of bodily pureness, to be gained by clean
and wholesome living, was not more dhectly made upon the
children of Israel anciently than upon the Latter-day
Saints through the Prophet Joseph. This revealed Word
* We have heard President Brigham Young state that the Prophet before his
death had spoken to him about going through the translation of the scriptures
again and perfecting it upon points of doctrine which the Lord had restrained him
from giving in plainness and fullness at the time of which we write.
t Doctrine and Covenants, Section xciii, verse 54.
11
130 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
of Wisdom embodies the most advanced principles of
science in the condemnation of unclean or gluttonous
appetites; and if it were implicitly obeyed by the human
family, it would be a power to aid in a physical redemp-
tion for the race. Its delivery to Joseph marks another
step in the divine plan for man's eventual elevation to
divine acceptability — a plan which had already proved
itself of heavenly origin by its sublime character.
And now we are brought to the time when the Lord
designed that the authority and power of the presidency
of the Church should be shared by others and should be
conferred upon them by Joseph. An intimation concern-
ing the First Presidency of the Church was given in a
revelation which the Prophet received in March, 1832, in
which Frederick G. Williams was called of the Lord to be
a counselor to Joseph. In previous revelations, also,
mention was made by the Lord of the First Presidency of
the Church, and some of the duties which belonged to
that body. But it was not until the 8th day of March,
1833, that the Lord revealed His further will concerning
this organization. At that time two men were designated
to be associates of the Prophet— to be his counselors and
members with him of the First Presidency of the Church.
They were Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, and
on the l^th day of March, 1833, in the school of the
Prophets, at Kirtlaud, obedient to the revealed word,
Joseph ordained these men to this office, to take part with
him in bearing the burden of the Kingdom of God, and to
assist in the presidency of the High Priesthood. In this
way was the first presiding quorum formed to administer
in the Church; and it was not dissolved during the
Prophet's life. But when the frightful deed at Carthage
took place in after years, the Lord had provided an auth-
ority, equal in power to the complete first quorum, to hold
the gifts and to carry the responsibility of the work.
Joseph's glad submission to N the will of the Lord
respecting the distribution of authority is sufficient proof
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 131
of his unselfishness. And the conception of this plan for
the guidance of the Church proves that the system had
its origin beyond and above the petty ambitions of
humanity.
Sidney Rigdon and Frederick GL Williams, with the
successors of the latter as counselors, ever received proper
consideration from Joseph ; and though often they were a
thorn in the flesh, because of their own ambitions or
misdoings, he bore with them patiently, knowing that
they were the chosen of th^ Lord, and forgave their fail-
ings as willingly and as humbly as he besought forgive-
ness of his own frailties. The Prophet was never more
watchful of his own ordained prerogatives than of the
power similarly conferred upon his brethren. He showed
by his example to the Saints then and for all time how a
man could defer to proper authority without cringing to
his fellow man.
The full beauty of the organization and the means by
which the authority of the Priesthood would be perpetu-
ated in the Church was not made fully known at that
time. It came later, notably when the quorum of Apos-
tles was organized. But this creation of the First Presi-
dency was of great moment in demonstrating the exalted
nature of his calling, and the Lord blessed it in the eyes
of the assembled Priesthood. On the occasion when the
ordination was solemnized, the sacrament was adminis-
tered by the Prophet under the promise that the pure in
heart should see a heavenly vision; and after the bread
and wine had been partaken of in prayer and humility,
the Savior appeared before their eyes, accompanied by
concourses of holy angels. It was thus that the faithful
were comforted in their meekness and blessed in their
devotion.
While looking forward to the building of Zion in
Missouri, it was still deemed necessary for the Saints to
have a resting place for some time to come in Kirtland.
And very soon after the ordination of Sidney Rigdon and
132 JOSEPH THE PROPHET
Frederick G. Williams, a council of the Priesthood was
called, by which it was decided to purchase lands in and
around Kirtland for the use of the Saints upon which they
were to be established. This plan was not vacillation,
however it might have seemed at that time to an unbe-
liever. Nor was it without its accomplishments and great
benefits. Hopeful as Joseph and the Saints were to per-
form the work of establishing the center stake in Jackson
County, and earnest as they were in their endeavor, the
administration of ordinances, the endowment of the wor-
thy Saints, and the ministration of heavenly beings,
which afterwards took place in the temple at Kirtland,
would necessarily have been delayed if the sole effort had
been to erect a temple in Missouri; because the hatred
against the truth soon became so violent there that the
fulfillment of this purpose was, for the time, impossible.
But while Kirtland was being strengthened and plans
were being made to beautify the city and to enrich it for
the benefit of the Saints, Zion in Missouri was also com-
ing under the good influence. Joseph was gratified to
learn that every dissension among the elders and members
in Jackson County had ceased and that all was peace
within that branch of the Church. There had been no
serious difficulties, but so far removed from his direct
guidance, some of the traveling Elders had exalted their
own authority to conflict with that exercised by the resi-
dent presidency in Zion and misunderstandings ensued.
This had all been corrected after Joseph had sent an epistle
to the Saints in that region, and with the opening of April,
1833, there was much joy and hope at Kirtland, and
much union and love in Jackson County.
Later in the spring and in the early summer of 1833,
revelations were received concerning the erection of a
temple at Kirtland, and with this and attendant work the
Prophet was constantly engaged.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THKEATS OF A MOB OF THREE HUNDRED AT INDEPENDENCE —
PURITY REQUIRED OF CHURCH MEMBERS — EXCOMMUNI-
CATION OF DR. P. HURLBURT — HIS THREATS AGAINST THE
PROPHET— PIXLEY JOINS THE MOB— HIS MALICIOUS FALSE-
HOODS — MEETING OF A BASE ELEMENT — WICKED DETER-
MINATIONS — DESTRUCTION OF TBE SAINTS 7 PRINTING
ESTABLISHMENT— W. W. PHELPS DRIVEN FROM HOME —
BISHOP PARTRIDGE AND ELDER ALLEN TARRED AND
FEATHERED— u YOU MUST LEAVE THE COUNTRY" — AN-
OTHER MEETING OF THE ENEMY — THE SAINTS AGREE TO
LEAVE JACKSON COUNTY.
Eighteen hundred years after the crucifixion of our Savior,
His Church in this last dispensation celebrated the third
anniversary of its establishment. The ceremonies took
place on the 6th day of April, 1*33, on the banks of the
Big Blue River in the western part of Jackson Coun'y,
Missouri. Few as were the Saints then gathered in the
land Zion, the event was impressive in its solemn recall
of the past, and sublime in its exalted promise for the fu-
ture of Christ's people. Joseph himself was not there;
but eighty men who had received the Priesthood and also
many other members of the Church were present to enjoy
this reawakening in modern times of the power of the Son
of God.
This was not to be the only reawakening. The spirit
of insensate murder which Jesus had encountered and
which had culminated on Calvary was aroused in all its
intensity against these His humble and chosen followers
in the latter days. In the same month which witnessed
the glorious reunion of the Saints, a mob, consisting of
three hundred men, congregated at Independence and
134 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
swore with much blasphemy to drive the people of God
from their homes in that region and to destroy that branch
of the Church. News of these dreadful threats was brought
to the leading Elders at Independence; and in solemn
assemblage they prayed that God would stay the hand of
the wicked. The supplication was granted for a time; and
the drunken rabble became filled with mutual hatred and
distrust, so that they scattered from the meeting and car-
ousing place, mingling with their maledictions against the
Saints much vile language and many execrations concern-
ing each other.
When the Prophet learned of these manifestations in
Jackson County, he was filled with much concern for his
brethren ; but his duty as commanded by the Lord requir-
ed for a time his presence at Kirtland and in the East.
And at Kirtland, despite the poverty of the people and the
menace made by a wicked world against th*>rn, prepara-
tions were made to build the house unto the Lord as re-
quired in the revelations.
The spirit of persecution which raged was doubtless
permitted, if for no other reason than that it had the effect
to purify the Church, and the members were also ad-
monished thereby to sweep all unworthiness from their
midst and to exclude from Church membership all wilful
and persistent wrong-doers. Few and poor as were the
Saints, it was the rule that no man, whatever his attain-
ments or wealth, should retain his fellowship if his con-
duct proved that his soul was vile. It was not and is not
now the practice of the Latter-day Saints to cover the sins
of their members from the gaze of an unbelieving world,
and to harbor the wrong-doer rather than to subject the
entire body to the reproach of scoffers. With charity
such as Christ commanded for all the frailties of a humani-
ty struggling toward goodness, the Church has ever been
an uncompromising punisher of wilful wickedness. In
June, 1833, one Doctor P. Hurlburt was tried by the coun-
cil of High Priests upon a charge of impure conduct with
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 135
women while acting as a missionary in the East; and al-
though he contested the case, as he desired for his own
selfish purposes to continue for a time in relation with the
Church, his guilt was fully established, he was cut off and
the world was warned against him as an insidious enemy
of female chastity. This man Hurlburt, being filled with
hatred by the exposure of his true nature, showed himself
a vindictive enemy of the Prophet and the Church, and in
later times his name became associated with the notorious
Spaulding story, and with threats and attempts upon Jo-
seph's life.
It was by such men, dishonorable apostates, suborned
and aided by a jealous clergy, that the early falsehoods
were propagated and the early persecutions were incited
against the Church which would not condone their impuri-
ties. And it is the wicked untruth, started in that age
and added to by the same class of men in later times,
which is circulated to-day and which deceives the world
concerning a people whose sole desire is to live in purity
and in peace with all mankind. It was then, as it is now,,
noted that, in many instances, the charges against Latter-
day Saints have varied according to the varied character
of their originators. Men whose profession is divining for
money, whose trade is deceiving human souls to gratify
their own avarice, joined in the cry that Joseph Smith and
his fellow Apostles were selfish seekers after the things of
this world. Men whose souls felt no repugnance to the
butchery of defenseless men, pure women and innocent
little children originated the awful lie that murder was
practiced and condoned by this Church. Impure wretches,
looking with lustful eyes upon females, originated the un-
truth that woman was degraded and her virtue held in
light esteem by the Latter-day Saints; and among the
most prominent persecutors and prosecutors of this people
have been lechers. Dishonest and disreputable men circu-
lated the absurd falsehood that Joseph Smith and his fol-
lowers sought to despoil others of their possessions instead
136 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
of acquiring homes by the labors of their own hands. It
is one of the most peculiar experiences of the Saints that
in most instances the charge brought against them has
been one of which the originator would himself be glad to
be guilty.
So it was at Independence in the summer of 1833.
The first effort of the mob failed. They lacked a
leader sufficiently base to unite them in their plans for
robbery and murder. But in July of that year a man
named Pixley, a paid agent of a sectarian Missionary So-
ciety, was dwelling in that region under the pretense of
helping the Indians to the light of Christianity. He de-
famed the Saints to their fellow citizens of Missouri and
sent malicious lies to the eastern states to stir up the older
communities of the nation to a feeling of dislike. He mis-
represented the Saints to the Indians and to the wilder
white men of the border, with the hope to inflame these
xmgoverned and lawless people to attack and destroy the
little handful of church members. The number of the
-Saints in the center stake of Zion at this time was twelve
hundred. They were law-abiding and industrious. But
"they were intent upon the work commanded of the Lord,
^nd they did not assimilate readily nor join in unworthy
pursuits with the surrounding people, white and red and
■black. This self-isolation or exclusiveness constituted
their sole offense. It is not surprising that the Saints
should have striven to keep their skirts clean from close
contact with the vicious element abounding there, nor that
this same vicious element should have been easily aroused
against a people so singular in their demeanor, and so un-
worldly in their lives and aspirations.
Pixley, himself the teacher of a false religion, pro-
claimed against Joseph Smith as a false prophet. Pixley,
himself the leader of deceived converts, proclaimed against
the Saints as deluded followers. Pixley, himself a dis-
honest creature, proclaimed that the purpose of the Saints
was to steal the possessions of other settlers, to steal their
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 137
negroes, or to incite them to run away. The Latter-day
Saints were men from the eastern states — Yankees — and
consequently open to the suspicion of being Abolitionists.
In Upper Missouri in those days no charge could be made
that would arouse more intense hatred and violence than
that of beiug an Abolitionist. The mere whisper of such
a suspicion was sufficient to inflame anger and arouse a
mob. By such cries, Pixley and others of his kind in-
duced every dissolute idler in that region to join in an
onslaught for plunder. They all hoped to safely annihilate
the Church and to seize the lands of the Saints under cover
of a Pharisaical cry, "False prophets, deluded followers,
idle vagabonds, land thieves!" With this man Pixley
were united professed ministers of the gospel, officers of
the law, politicians and many individuals of less personal
importance if not less vindictiveness. They succeeded in
so exciting the public mind that a mass meeting to devise
some unlawful plan against the Saints was held at Inde-
pendence, on the 20th day of July, 1833, at which a great
horde of five hundred persons were in attendance. Not
only were the scum of that wild region gathered, but men
holding high official positions were also present, for indi-
viduals with political aspirations are often ready to join
the lowest and most depraved in any popular movement.
Amazing as it may seem, Lieutenant-Governor Lilburn
W. Boggs, the second officer of the State of Missouri, was
personally cognizant of the proceedings and aided every
movement against the Saints.
Colonel Richard Simpson was chairman of the meet-
ing, and James H. Flournoy and Colonel Samuel D. Lucas
were secretaries. A committee appointed for the purpose
prepared and presented a manifesto, which was adopted
by the meeting. It denounced the Saints for their poverty
and for their peculiar religious belief, but it did not dare
to charge a single specific violation of law against them.
It closed with the declaration that no Latter-day Saint
should in future be permitted to settle in Jackson County;
138 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
that such as then resided there should remove; that the
Evening and Morning Star should no longer be published,
and the business of printing by the Saints should be dis-
continued in that county; and "that those who failed to
comply with this requisition are to refer to those of their
brethren who have the gift of divination and of unknown
tongues to inform them of the lot that awaits them."
Not a single voice was recorded against the adoption
of this infamous edict. It was unanimously accepted; and
immediately a committee of thirteen persons was appoint-
ed to see that the decree was enforced. The space of two
hours was allowed by the meeting for the delivery of the
terms of this manifesto to the presiding officers of the
Church, for their answer to this demand, and for the re-
turn of the committee to the meeting. Scant time, indeed,
for the expatriation of twelve hundred law-abiding men,
women and children! The Saints asked for dalay for a
pitiful ten days, in which to consider the awful decree.
The answer was, " Fifteen minutes are enough."
The mob were terribly, murderously earnest. When
the committee returned to the re- convened meeting after
a lapse of that brief two hours, they reported that the
leaders of the Saints and the editor of the paper had asked
time for consultation, not only among themselves but with
their fellow believers and the Presidency of the Church in
Ohio. A yell of hate greeted this announcement, and the
meeting instantly and unanimously resolved to wreak in-
stant vengeance upon the Saints and the paper. Headed
by a red flag to signify their bloody purpose and their de-
fiance of law, they rushed upon their prey. The house of
William W. Phelps, the editor, containing the printing
establishment, was razed to the ground. His press and
type and other materials were seized and carried away by
the mob. The papers and books were destroyed, and the
family and furniture of the editor were cast off the prem-
ises. An infant child of Elder Phelps was dangerously "ill
in his wife's arms, but mother and babe were thrust out
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 139
as brutally as the rest. An attack was made upon the
store for the purpose of plundering it, but the mob was
induced to forego their purpose to engage in more sang-
uinary delights. Bishop Edward Partridge and Charles
Allen were stripped and tarred and feathered, because
they would not deny the truth nor agree to leave the county
at once. With the tar was mixed some powerful acid
which burned their flesh frightfully. Several of the breth-
ren were threatened with whipping and even worse. But
it was growing dark and the mob concluded that enough
had been done for one time ; so the mass meeting, which
this inhuman rabble was called, adjourned for three days
until the 23rd of July, 1833. And Lilburn W. Boggs ad-
dressed some of the Saints saying, "You now know what
our Jackson boys can do, and you must leave the coun-
try. "
Even a greater number of people assembled on the
23rd of July, as agreed, to renew the persecution of the
poor Saints. A new committee was appointed to consult
again with the presiding officers of the Church; and, not
beiug entirely dead to humanity, this committee agreed to
give the Saints time — one half until the 1st day of January,
1831, and the remainder until the 1st day of April, of the
same year, in which to remove themselves from Jackson
County. Further, it was settled that the Star was not to
be again published nor a press set up by any Latter-day
Saint in the county, and that any members of the Church
then journeying toward Jackson County should be stopped
on the road and only permitted to have a temporary shel-
ter until such time as all the Saiuts could remove from
Jackson County to some new gathering place. A solemn
pledge was given by the Committee that, meanwhile, the
people should not be again assailed. The mass meeting,
upon receiving this report, ratified it in a formal manner.
Concluding that their great mission — to which they had
devoted "their bodily powers, their lives, fortunes and
140 JOSEPH THb; PROPHET.
sacred honors" — had been accomplished the rabble ad-
journed sine die*
Oliver Cowdery was at once despatched to Kirtland
with full information. When the Prophet Joseph heard
of this wanton attack upon the Church and the sad situ-
ation of the people at Independence, he wrote, "Man
may torment the body; but God in return will punish the
soul."
See note 3 Appendix.
CHAPTER XXV.
THE CORNER STONE OF THE KIRTLAND TEMPLE LAID — A
PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT OPENED — THE PKOPHET's
MISSION TO CANADA — A MINISTER'S OPPOSITION — BAP-
TISMS—PERSECUTIONS AT KIRTLAND — WILFORD WOOD-
RUFF RECEIVES THE GOSPEL.
No work of murderous mobs or judicial persecution has
ever been able to stay the cause inaugurated under divine
direction through Joseph Smith. At the very hour when
the mob, on the 23rd day of July, 1833, were issuing
their mandate of exile to the Saints in Jackson County,
the cornerstone of the Lord's house in Kirtland was being
laid according to the order of the holy Priesthood of
Christ It was not that the purpose had shifted, that the
center stake was to be removed from Missouri to Ohio.
The command had been given; it will not be annulled.
But long before manifestation of mob violence in Jackson
County, the Lord had directed the building of a temple at
Kirtland and the establishment of a stake of Zion there.
And while the future, to Jiuman appearance, seemed
to be growing darker and darker, Joseph received a reve-
lation in which the Lord declared His immutable coven-
ant that the Saints should be rewarded and blessed
according to His promise, and that their afflictions should
eventually be turned to their everlasting good. And,
while the wickedness of the mobs in Missouri was still
agitating the hearts of Joseph and the Saints and making*
the weak among the people to tremble and the strong to
feel deep indignation, the Lord commanded His Saints to
renounce war and proclaim peace and to bear afflictions
patiently, until the third time of their being smitten by
142 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
the wicked. He promised them that whoso should lay
down their life in the cause of Christ should find it again,
even life eternal.
On the 11th day of September, 18 13, a council under
the presidency of the Prophet was held in Kirtland, and it
was decided that a printing establishment should be
opened there for the publication of the persecuted Even-
ing and Morning Star and for a new paper to be called the
Latter-day Saints' Messenger and Advocate. About the
same time Elders Orson Hyde and John Gould were sent
to Jackson County as messengers from the First Presi-
dency to the Missouri Saints in their tribulation.
The Prophet felt that the field of souls was white
for the harvest and that it, was incumbent upon him to
thrust in his sickle and gather the honest-in-heart. On
the 5th day of October, 1833, he departed from Kirtland
upon a missionary journey to Canada, in company with
Sidney Rigdon and Freeman A. Nickerson. At various
places on the road, they stopped and proclaimed the word
of the Lord unto the inhabitants. In some villages they
found already members of the Church. In others they
found God-fearing men and women who were praying for
light and were willing to obey when the simple gospel was
presented before the eyes of their understanding. On the
12th day of October they had arrived at Perrysburg, New
York, where they halted for a little time. Here the
Prophet received a revelation in which the Lord instructed
him that Zion must be chastened yet for a season, although
she would finally be redeemed. When they reached Lodi,
New York, they preached in the evening and made a fur-
ther appointment for the day following at a Presbyterian
meeting house, the use of which had been promised to
them. But when many people had assembled outside the
hall to hear Joseph, they were refused admission by the
jealous sectarians in charge, and the indignant congregation
went home in great confusion. On the 17th day of Octo-
ber the Prophet and his companions reached the home of
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 143
Freeman A. Nickprson at Mount Pleasant in Upper Can-
ada; and at this place and the adjoining town of Brant-
ford and the villages of Colburn and Waterford they held
several meetings which were blessed by a great outflow of
the Spirit of God and by the presence of many honest-
hearted people. Upon one occasion at Colburn they were
beset very tumultuously at one of their meetings by a
Wesleyan Methodist, who was determined that the
assembled people should not hear the gospel. But his
own lack of logic and courtesy injured himself rather
than the persons against whom his violent efforts were
directed. On the 26th day of October, after preaching to
a large congregation at Mount Pleasant, Joseph baptized
twelve persons, and on each of the two following days he
baptized two persons, all of whom were coufirmed as mem-
bers of the Church. The Prophe r also ordained E. F. Nick-
erson to be an Elder; and he gave much instruction to the
newly-converted Saints concerning the truth and the con-
stant necessity for watchfulness and humility. This labor
made a considerable opening in this region for the further
preaching of the truth. It was not, however the first
proclamation of the gospel in Canada, because as early as
July 20th of the same year, 1833, Elder Orson Pratt had
pieached to the people in Patten.
On the 29th day of October the Prophet and his com-
panions departed from Mount Pleasant for Kirtlaud; and
on Monday, the 4th day of November, the Prophet
reached his home and found his family in peace, as had
been promised in the revelation given to him at Perrys-
burg.
The inhabitants of Geauga County, Ohio, in which
Kirtlaud was situated, began now to partake of a persecuting
and mobocratic spirit, and threatened the Saints resident
there with similar afflictions to those which had been vis-
ited upon their brethren in Missouri. The Prophet knew
of the hate that was hanging around him, but he calmly
viewed the situation, and in writing to Bishop Partridge at
L44 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
Clay County, Missouri, under date of December 5th, 1833,
he said:
The inhabitants of this county threaten our destruc-
tion, and we know not how soon they may be permitted to
follow the examples of the Missourians; but our trust is
in God, and we are determined, by His grace assisting us,
to maintain the cause and hold out faithful unto the end,
that we may be crowned with crowns of celestial glory,
and enter into the rest that is prepared for the children of
God.
On the 16th day of December, 1833, the Lord revealed
to Joseph the divine purpose concerning the Saints in
Missouri, saying,
I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon
them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence
of their transgressions;
Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that
day when I shall come to make up my jewels.
Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried,
even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only
son;
For all those who will not endure chastening, but
deny me, cannot be sanctified.
And they that have been scattered shall be gathered;
And all they who have mourned shall be comforted;
And all they who have given their lives for my name
shall be crowned.
Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning
Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that
I am God.
.Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwith-
standing her children are scattered ;
They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return,
and coniH to their inheritances, they and their children,
with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places
of Zion.
And immediately after the revelation was received
the Prophet sent William Pratt and David W. Patten, as
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 145
messengers 10 the scattered Saints of Missouri to give
them words of comfort and instruction.
Early in the month of December, 1833, Bishop Newel
K. Whitney and Oliver Cowdery had brought to Kirtland
a new printing press, and on the 18th day of the month
a printing office in Kirtland was dedicated to the Lord
and His purposes, and Oliver Cowdery began the publi-
cation of the Evening and Morning Star, which had been
cast out of Missouri. Oa the day that Joseph dedicated
the printing establisment to the service of the Lord, his
father, Joseph Smith, Senior, was ordained to be the
Patriarch of the whole Cnurch. On that day Joseph
wrote :
And blessed is my father, for the hand of the Lord
will be over him, for he shall see the afflictions of his
children pass away; and when his head is fully ripe, he
shall behold himself as an olive, whose branches are bowed
down with much fruit; he shall also possess a mansion on
high.
In view of all that has since occurred, it is a remark-
able fact, that the Prophet recorded in his journal of the
31st of December, 1833, the fact that "Wilford Woodruff
was baptized at Richland, Oswego County, New York, by
Zera Pulsipher." And this was before the Prophet and
the future Apostle and President had ever met in the
flesh. This is not the only mention of Wilford Woodruff
in Joseph's diary prior to their meeting. In one place
the Prophet notices that Wilford had been ordained a
teacher. It was the 25th day of April, 1834, when Wilford
Woodruff visited the Prophet at Kirtland, and from that
time on untilJoseph's death they were intimately associated.
It was clear that Joseph felt the staunch worthiness of
his young brother, and in relying on him the Prophet was
leaning upon no weak or broken reed, for Wilford Wood-
ruff had then and has ever since shown the fidelity of a
Saint and the integrity and power of an Apostle of Jesus
Christ. He was one of the most faithful of all the men
12
146 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
who were gathered near to the Prophet's person to share
his trials and his confidences. Wilford Woodruff never
made any attempt to cultivate showy qualities, and yet
he was always marked amoug his fellows; his character-
istic humility and unswerving honesty being sufficient to
attract the attention of all who have known him. His is
another of the names to be recorded with that of Joseph,
and it is worthy to stand side by side with the names of
Brigham Young and John Taylor, for he was as loyal to
them as he and they were to Joseph, the first Prophet of
this dispensation.
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE JACKSON COUNTY PERSECUTIONS — APPEAL TO GOVERNOR
DUNKLIN — HIS TIMID REPLY — HEARTLESS DRIVINGS — A
BRUTAL MURDER — BOGGS ALLOWS THE MOB TO ORGANIZE
AS A MILITIA — PITCHER PLACED IN COMMAND — CERTAIN
MEN TAKEN IN CUSTODY BY THE MOB — SETTLEMENT IN
CLAY COUNTY — COURT OF INQUIRY.
"Be still and know that I am God." J
These are the words with which the Almighty answered
Joseph when he importuned Heaven concerning the woes
of the Saints in Missouri. And so he was wont to solace
himself and his brethren with the remembrance of the
revealed word that "After mnch tribulation cometh the
blessing." How many years of the people or days of the
Lord must elapse before the Saints would be planted in
power in Zion, the Prophet could not learn; but this he
did know that after her term of affliction and purification
had passed -she would be redeemed and beautified, and
this is the promise that he uttered to his brethren in Kirt-
land and wrote to the Saints in Missouri.
While Joseph had been traveling in the missionary
field, momentous events took place in the far west. The
truce which the mob had made, the mob had broken.
Assaults upon the houses of the Saints were of constant
occurrence. Satan was not satisfied that the people of the
Lord should peacefully migrate with their few possessions
into some other region, and the more turbulent spirits
in the rabble began to threaten the lives of leading men at
Independence and to declare that all of the people — men,
women and children, — should be whipped out of the
148 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
county. An attempt was made to establish a colony in
Van Buren County, in the south. Some of the Saints
settled there and began to labor diligently in the fields,
but the spirit of mobocracy had spread, and a mob rose
in arms, threatening to drive the Saints further into exile.
On the 28th day of September, 183'*, a petition was
addressed to His Excel' ency Daniel Dunklin, Governor of
the State of Missouri, by the persecuted people in Jack-
son County; and it was carried to the executive office in
Jefferson City by Elders Orson Hyde and William W.
Phelps. In this eloquent document a recital was made of
the woes to which the people had been subjected, of the
patience with which they had borne these outrages, of the
utter subversion of the principles of law and humanity,
and of the participation in these outrages by leading men
in the state, civil and military officers, politicians and
preachers. The final appeal in this petition was as fol-
lows:
Knowing, as we do, that the threats of this mob, in
most cases, have been put into execution, and knowing
also that every officer, civil and military, with a very few
exceptions, has pledged his life and honor to force us
from the county, dead or alive; and believing that civil
process cannot be served without the aid of the Execu-
tive; and not wishing to have the blood of our defenseless
women and children to stain the land which has once been
stained by the blood of our fathers to purchase our liberty;
we appeal to the Governor for aid, asking him, by express
proclamation or othewise, to raise a sufficient number of
troops, who, with us, may be empowered to defend our
rights, that we may sue for damages in the loss of prop-
erty — for abuse — for defamation, as to ourselves; and if
advisable, try for treason against the government, that
the law of the land may not be defied, nor nullified, but
peace be restored to our country: — And we will ever pray.
Not one word in this petition had been set down in
malice ; it was temperate and respectful ; and though its
utterances we^e strong, they were borne out by incorrupt-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 149
ible testimony, as well as, mainly, by the admissions of the
mob themselves.
After such an appeal, the Saints were entitled to
prompt action and help. The Governor merely replied
that the attorney-general of the state was -absent, and
upon his return a response would be prepared and sent
by mail to Independence, The messengers from Zion
journeyed back with empty hands, and awaited, amidst
the tide of persecution, which was rising higher and
higher around them, the signal of succor, from the exec-
utive office.
About the 26th of October, 1833, a reply was received
from Governor Dunklin, in which he says:
No citizen, nor number of citizens, have a right to
take the redress of their grievances, whether real or imag-
inary, into their own hands. Such conduct strikes at the
very existence of society and subverts the foundation on
which it is based. Not being willing to persuade myself
that any portion of the citizens of the state of Missouri are
so lost to a sense of these truths as to require the exercise of
force, in order to ensure respect for them, after advising
with the attorney-general, and exercising my best judg-
ment, I would advise you to make a trial of the efficacy
of the laws; the judge of your circuit is a conservator of
the peace. If an affidavit is made before him by any of
you, that your lives are threatened and you believe them
in danger, it would be his duty to have the offenders
apprehended, and bind them to keep the peace.
Such was the redress offered by the man whose sworn
duty it was to see that the laws were faithfully executed.
The lamb was sent back by the lion to ask protection
from the wolf! It has often happened since in the his-
tory of the Saints, as it was then, that the men who
should have been their vigilant protectors against plun-
derers and murderers, have been among the thieves and
assassins.
But Governor Dunklin's letter contained a promise
150 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
that, in the event of a failure to get proper execution of the
law in Jackson County, he would, upon official notifica-
tion, take further steps to enforce its faithful observance.
Upon this slight hope, the Saints began to restore their
houses to comfort and to labor in the fields for their main-
tenance.
The Saints had engaged four lawyers to aid them in
obtaining a redress of their grievances, and as soon as this
fact became known, the event occurred which Governor
Dunklin should have foreseen. With tenfold intensity
the fire of hatred raged against the people. On the night
of October 31st an armed mob attacked a settlement of
the Saints west of Big Blue, tore the roofs from many of
the dwelling houses, whipped the men and drove the
women and children screaming into the wilderness. The
profanity of the mob was appalling. None of the Saints
were armed, and the resistance which they might have
offered with sticks was forbidden by their captors under
penalty of death. Satiated with brutality, the mob at
length retired, leaving orders that the Sa nts — men,
women and children— should leave the county. The next
day was the first of bleak November; and when the cold
morning dawned, the (Saints crept out of their hiding
places whither they had fled for safety, and came back to
their despoiled homes to find their habitations and their
gardens in ruins. The women wept for their scourged
and bleeding husbands. Children sobbed with hunger,
cold and fear. Row were these plundered people to find
means for journeying to a land of safety? And whither
were they to go? Asylum had already been denied them
in the col joining county: adequate protection had been
practically denied to them by the civil power of the state ;
and they had no hope that any section of Missouri would
harbor them.
Such scenes of horror were repeated night after night
at Independence, and every dwelling place of the Saints
in that county. At Independence, on the 1st of Novem-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 151
ber, one of the mob was caught in the very act of robbing
the store of Gilbert & Whituey, and was carried before
Samuel Weston, a justice of the peace; but despite the
boast of the Governor, Mr. Weston refused to issue a
warrant or to entertain the case, and the robber was
turned loose to join his fellows in a continuation of mur-
derous work. Other efforts were made to secure the aid
of judicial power to stop the horrible work of the rabble,
but in vain. Such of the officers of the law as were not
allied with the mob dared not assert their authority.
And so the work of rapine went on until it ended in mur-
der.
The 3rd day of November, 1833, was Sunday, and
the Saints hoped for a cessation of hostilities, but none
came. Word went out among the mob that Monday
would be a bloody time. On November the 4th, the day
of Joseph's return to Kirtland from his Canada mission, a
large party of the mob fired upon some of the Saints west
of Big Blue. Several of the Saints were wounded, two
desperately. These were young men named Barber and
Dibble, who were thought to have been fatally injured;
but Philo Dibble finally recovered, and at the time of this
writing is still living, a respected citizen of Utah Territory.
After lingering in great agony, Barber died the next day.
Three times and more the Saints had permitted their ene-
mies to smite them, and three times and more they had
submitted patiently. They had appealed to civil and
military power in vain, and now the sight of blood thus
wantonly shed aroused in them a strong spirit of resist-
ance. When the mob continued the massacre they were
greeted by shots from such of the Saints as had guns,
and two of the mob fell dead. One of them, Hugh L.
Brazeale, had often boasted: "i will wade to my knees in
blood but that I will drive the Mormons from Jackson
County."
The men who had caught the mobber in the act of
plundering Gilbert & Whitney's store were arrested upon
152 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET.
a fictitious charge of assault upon that wretch. Appar-
ently the mob had no difficulty in obtaining process of
court and securing its service. An effo "t was made to
kill these prisoners while they wer3 in charge of the
officers of the law, and shots were fired at them, and they
had to be placed in jail to protect their lives.
And now comes the most diabolical feature of all the
persecution • in Missouri up to that date. On the 5th day
of November, 183 'J, Lieutenant-Governor Boggs permitted
the mob to organize as a militia, and placed them under
the command of Colonel Thomas Pitcher. While the
Saints showed no intention of resisting, the rabble did
not feel the need of such organization; bnt when it was
found that, driven to the last extremity, the Saints would
fight for their lives, Boggs clothed the mob with military
power, that resistance to them might be charged against
the Saints as insurrection against the legal authorities of
the state of Missouri.
Colonel Pitcher demanded that the Saints should
give up their arms; that certain men who had been
engaged in the fight west of Big Blue should be deliv-
ered into his hands to be tried for murder; and that the
people should leave the county forthwith. It was clear
that the alternative was death to the men and outrage
to the women and children. And so the Saints yielded
under solemn promise of protection. As soon as the
demand was complied with, the mob rushed like demons
in various directions, bursting violently into houses and
threatening the women and children with massacre. One
party of the mob was headed by Rev. Isaac McCoy, and
other preachers joined in the rabble. Men, women and
children fled to the prairie and to the river banks, seeking
in the wilderness, amidst all its terrors, a peace denied
them by civilized men. Husbands and wives and children
were separated, and one knew not whether his beloved kin
were dead or alive .
Who can say that a restoration of the Gospel of Peace
was not necesssry in such an age?
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 153
After a time most of the scattered Saints gathered in
Clay County, where a court of inquiry was ordered by
Governor Dunklin, but the murderers and robbers who
slew the Saints and took their substance in Jackson
County, Missouri, went unwhipped of justice. Clay
County was the only section of the state which received
the Saints with any degree of charity. From Van Buren
and Lafayette and other counties they were forced to flee
as they had been from Jackson.
In Clay County, where many of them had found a
haven of rest among noble-hearted citizens, the Saints
prepared and sent up to Governor Dunklin such piteous
appeals as might have melted a heart of adamant. They
had been stripped of all their worldly substance ; winter
was upon them; they even lacked food and raiment; and
from hour to hour they were in expectation of further
assaults. It was their supplication to the Governor that
he would use the power of the state to restore them to
their lands and possessions, and to give a sufficient guard
to a court of inquiry, which might examine into the whole
history of the outrages made against them. The co irt
of inquiry was held, and Colonel Pitcher was arraigned
and ordered for further trial by court-martial. But it
soon became clear that the Saints could not be restored to
their lands in Jackson County under existing conditions;
because the mob swore that if they returned, there would
be a wholesale massacre of Mormons, and the Gover-
nor, it was said, had not the constitutional right to estab-
lish a permanent guard for the persons and property of
the defenseless Saints.
Messengers had gone at various times from the scenes
of the outrage in Missouri to the Prophet at Kirtland, and
when he heard the dreadful news, he burst into tears and
sobbed aloud:
"Oh, my brethren, my brethren! would that I had
been with you to share your fate. Almighty God, what
shall we do in such a trial as this?"
CHAPTER XX VII.
hurlbtjrt's efforts to destroy joseph — high councils
organized — the camp of zion — a hard journey — rat-
tlesnakes in camp — the prophet's philosophy —
elder Humphrey's experience.
With the opening of the year 1834, Joseph recorded his
prayer that the Lord would deliver Zion and gather in His
scattered people to possess it in peace, and that, in their
dispersion, He would provide for them that they might
not perish of hunger and cold.
At the same time he was pursued by threats against
his own life. The apostate, Doctor P. Hurlburt, was de-
termined to wreak his rage upon Joseph's person. -Hurl-
burt had circulated vile falsehoods and presented lying-
affidavits among the people in the towns surrounding Kirt-
land, in the hope of exciting mobocratic violence. If per-
sonal considerations alone had been involved in these at-
temps of Hurlburt's to destroy him, the Prophet might
have taken no steps to restrain him or to bring him to
justice. But his duty to the Church demanded his preser-
vation, and by his consent process of court was secured
against Hurlburt, and later, on the (9th of April, 1834,
that infamous creature was found guilty of threatening to
kill, and was by a court at Chardon, Ohio, placed under
bonds.
Many high councils exist in the Church at the present
time, there being one in every Stake of Zion. It was on
ths 17th day of February, 1834, at Kir tl and, however,
that the Prophet organized the first high council of the
Church. This tribunal consisted of twelve High Priests,
and it was presided over by the Prophet and his two coun-
selors, Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. William. Its
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 155
duty was to hear all matters of dispute between members
of the Church who sought equity, and to decide such
issues according to the principles of eternal justice. The
plan of settling disputes and preventing litigation among
brethren, which the Prophet was then inspired to intro-
duce, has grown with the growth of the Church, and the
high council has performed an important mission in the
years which have followed. It has worked without fees;
it has known no coercion; the honesty of its decisions
have been beyond question; and often it has been ap-
pealed to by men not of the faith, that their disputes
might be settled with fairness and economy. It has never
usurped the function of the criminal courts; it has never
sought to enforce its judgment by any civil process. It
has only decreed according to clear and unmistakable jus-
tice and has left the parties to accept the judgment, and
if not complied with or appealed from, to have Church
fellowship withdrawn from them. The rules which the
Prophet established to control its proceedings under divine
guidance were, delivered to it at the time of organization,
and they, speaking of all the high councils which have
since been organized, are still governed by them. To
confirm the twelve chosen men in their places the Prophet
laid his hands upon each one's head and blessed him with
the gifts and authority necessary for his calling.
The first act of the high council at Kirtland was to
declare Joseph Smith the President of the Church with
Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams as the other
members of the First Presidency.
All this time the cry of the exiled Saints in Missouri
was ascending to heaven for the redemption of their
homes and for their own release from oppression. In a
revelation given to the Prophet February '24, 1834, the
Lord made known that the wicked had been permitted to
fill up the measure of their iniquities that those who are
called after His name might be chastened for a season ;
because in many things they had not hearkened unto His
156 JOSEPH THb: PROPHET.
commandments. He declared that in His own due time
the punishment of His wrath should be poured out upon
the persecutors of His Saints, and He promised the elect
that they should repossess the goodly land from which
they had been driven. The Prophet was commanded to
gather up the strength of the Lord's house to journey to
the land Zion to assist the scattered Saints. Two days
later he departed for the East to obtain assistance for the
work of the Lord. Other Elders were also called to per-
form similar missions. The Prophet traveled as far
as Geneseo, New York, reaching there on the 15th day of
March, 1834. On the way he preached to many of the
congregations of Saints and also to many assemblages of
unbelievers. On the 19th of March he began his return
journey to Kirtland, which place he reached on the 28th.
On the 18th day of April, 1834, while Joseph was journ-
neying in company with Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery
and Zebedee Coltrin to New Portage for the purpose of
gathering up help for Zion, an effort was made by a party
of men to capture them as they traveled along the road
after darkness had fallen. By driving rapidly they es-
caped the hands of the bandits who sent a torrent of cur pes
after the Prophet's party.
It was the 5th day of May, 1834, when Joseph, hav-
ing gathered clothing and food for his brethren and sisters
in Missouri who had been robbed and plundered of their
effects, departed, with a company of brethren, from Kirt-
land to find and succor the distressed Saints. His party
consisted of about one hundred men, nearly all young and
nearly all endowed with the Priesthood. At New Por-
tage they were joined by fifty men, some of whom had
gone in advance of the main body from Kirtland. A
careful and harmonious organization of the company was
made that the progress of this Camp of Zion might be in
steadiness and order.
The wagons of the party numbered twenty and were
filled with provisions and clothing, and such arms as the
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 957
company needed for the securing of game and for de-
fense. Nearly all of the men were compelled to walk, and
Joseph cheerfully led their journey. They traveled some-
times forty or fifty miles in a day, resting always on the
Sabbath and holding religious services. Every night they
retired to their tents at the sound of the trumpet, and
every man bowed to the Lord in thanksgiving for the
blessings of the day and in supplication for the welfare of
the families they were leaving behind and the poor Saints
they were going to meet. And every morning at the
sound of the trumpet every man arose and fell upon his
knees before Heaven, invoking its watchful care during
the day.
The march was necessarily one of great hardship.
The men waded rivers, struggled through marshes and
tramped across hard stretches of hill and sandy plain.
Many of them suffered from bruised and bleeding feet.
Often they were harassed by evil men who suspected their
mission and sought to prevent its fulfillment.
A few persons in the Camp had proved unruly, and
while they were in the vicinity of the Illinois River, Joseph
was led to utter a solemn warning against the dissensions
of some of his brethren. He exhorted them to faithful-
ness and humility, and told them that the Lord had re-
vealed to him that a scourge must come upon them in con-
sequence of their disobedience. Still if they would re-
pent and humble themselves before the Lord, a part of
the severity of the scourge might be turned away.
Joseph and his brethren reached the banks of the
Mississippi on the 4th day of June, and encamped at a
point where the river was a mile and half in width. Hav-
ing but one ferry boat two days were required in which to
make the passage of the entire party from Illinois into
Missouri. Besides, they were delayed, though not pre-
vented, by the menace of numerous enemies who swore
that they should not pass beyond the Mississippi.
One of the instructions given by the Prophet during
158 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
this journey was that his brethren should not kill an ani-
mal of any kind, unless it became absolutely necessary to
save themselves from starvation. On one occasion, while
the Prophet's tent was being pitched at camp the men saw
three rattlesnakes and were about to kill them, but Joseph
forbade the act. He asked the Elders how would the ser-
pent ever lose its venom while the servants of God made
war upon it with desire to kill. He said: "Men them-
selves must first become harmless before they can ex-
pect the brute creation to be so. When man shall lose
his own vicious disposition and cease to destroy the in-
ferior animals, the lion and lamb may dwell together and
the suckling child play with the serpent in safety." It
was a deep philosopy and contrary to the preconceived
notions and early lessons of his brethren; but they obeyed.
And soon they experienced the truth of his words. One
of the members of the Camp by the name of Solomon
Humphrey lay down on the prairie one day to rest. He
fell asleep with his hat in haud. While he slumbered a
large rattlesnake crawled up and coiled between him and
his hat, and w T hen Elder Humphrey awoke he found the
serpent's head not a foot from his own. He did not harm
it, and when some of his brethren would have killed it,
he stayed their hands, saying: "No. I will protect him,
for he and I have had a good nap together." Although
the rattlesnake was roused it made no effort to strike.
CHAPTER XXV1IL
VAIN APPEALS OF THE JACKSON COUNTY SAINTS FOR PROTEC-
TION — THE APPROACH OF ZION'S CAMP — ATTEMPTS TO
RAISE AN OPPOSING ARMY — JAMES CAMPBELL'S PROPHECY
AND ITS FULFILLMENT — A PROVIDENTIAL STORM —
REMARKABLE RISE OF FISHING RIVER — JOSEPH STATES
THE OBJECT OF ZION'S CAMP — A COMFORTING REVELA-
TION.
While the Prophet was "encountering and overcoming
many difficulties to bring succor to the Saints, the latter
were engaged in a vain struggle to secure their rights.
Correspondence passed between their leaders and the civil
officers from the judges up to the President of the Uuited
States. Many of the appeals brought polite replies, but
they resulted in no effective aid. Governor Dunklin sent
several communications recognizing and deploring the
wrongs inflicted, but stating he could not, without trans-
cending his power, order a military force to maintain the
Saints in their Jackson County possessions. The latter
sentiment was also the substance of the reply from the
Secretary of War in behalf of the President of the United
States. It is worthy of note that in all of the corres-
pondence upon this question not a single charge is made
against the Saints. It proves that in all things they were
the sufferers from wrong, and not the doers of wrong;
because the men to whom they appealed would have been
quick to offer an excuse for their failure to extend
redress.
Possibly the Governor thought he had done enough
when he filled his correspondence with high-miaded and
160 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
sympathetic sentiments; but of what avail was it to the
Saints for him to say to them as follows!
On the subject of civil injuries, I must refer yon to
the courts; such questions rest with them exclusively.
The laws are sufficient to afford a remedy for every injury
of this kind, and, whenever you make out a case, entitl-
ing you to damages, there can be no doubt entertained of
their ample award. Justice is sometimes slow in its prog-
ress, but it is not less sure on that account.
This is but a repetition practically of what he had
said before without avail. Was not this almost a mock-
ery of the people's disasters! It was at least a satire
upon the persistent denial of the judicial officers in Jack-
son County to do justice. Later a court of inquiry was
convened at Independence, under military guard; but the
mob defied all the authority of law, scoffed at the Gover-
nor's order, subdued the court into a state of terror, and
laughed at the troops as they were withdrawn. A court
martial was convened and it found Colonel Pitcher guilty
of calling upon the militia to repress an insurrection
where there was no insurrection, and decided that he had
taken arms from the citizens who were lawfully seeking to
defend themselves against unlawful aggression; but the
Governor in vain commanded the officers to restore the
arms to the people from whom they had been stolen.
Although repeated orders were issued by his Excellency
those arms never were and to this day have not been
returned.
The assaults of the mob on the scattered Saints and
their property in Jackson County continued. In the latter
part of April, 1834, one hundred and fifty houses were
torn to the ground by the rabble.
Joseph and his party found a branch of the Church
at Salt River, in the state of Missouri, where they
encamped to spend Sunday, the 8th of June. Here they
were joined by Hyrum Smith and Lyman Wight with
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 161
another party which had been gathered in the State of
Michigan and surrounding regions; and the Camp of Zion
with this addition now numbered two hundred and five
men and twenty-five wagons well laden. Several days were
devoted to much needed recuperation, for the greater part
of this devoted band of men had traveled nine hundred
miles in a little more than a month's time, the journey
being largely made on foot amidst all the natural hard-
ships of a wild country where constant watchfulness had
to be exercised.
On the 18th of June they pitched their tents within
one mine of Richmond in Ray County. Two days previous
to this time a mass meeting had been held at the court
house in Liberty, Clay County, to consider propositions
made by the people of Jackson County to the exiled
Saints. Flaming war speeches were delivered by civil
officers and by sectarian priests from Jackson County,
who had hoped to arouse the hospitable people of Clay
against their inoffensive guests, the Saints. Because
General Doniphan and the chairman of the meeting, a Mr.
Turnham, counseled peace and decency, the old spirit of
savage violence broke loose with all its virulence on the
part of the representatives from Independence, and the
meeting ended with a stabbing affray between two members
of the former mob, in which one of them was dangerously
wounded. The leading men among the Saints presented
an answer in which they 3sked for time and in which
they deprecated any hostilities upon either side during the
pendency of the negotiation. It was at once manifest
that the proposition of the mobocrats had been but a
sham to cover further violence. The news of the
approach of the Prophet and his brethren in an organized
camp had reached the ears of these infuriated men, and
they felt that he was putting himself in their power. They
counted with entire certainty upon the inability of the
officers of the law to prevent them carrying out any fell
33
162 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
purpose which they might adopt against the Latter-day
Saints. If there was an official who did not justify them
in their attacks upon the believers in this unpopular relig-
ion, they expected to overawe him; but from the Gov-
ernor down they knew they had secret sympathy if not
their active aid. With all their innocence and excellence,
therefore, the Latter-day Saints could place no reliance
upon the laws and the safeguards of civilized society to
protect them if these desperadoes chose to attack them.
The sole purpose of Joseph and his brethren was to
bring succor to their suffering friends; but this their inhu-
man enemies were determined they should not do. Fifteen
of the most violent mobocrats, with Samuel C. Owens
and James Campbell at their head started to raise an
army to meet and overpower the Camp of Zion. James
Campbell swore as he adjusted his pistols in the holsters,
"The eagles and turkey buzzards shall eat my flesh if I do
not fix Joe Smith and his army so that their skins will not
hold shucks, before two days are past." That night as
twelve of these mobocrats were attempting to cross the Mis-
souri River their boat was sunk and seven of them were
jdrowned. Among the lost was Campbell, whose corpse
floated down the river several miles and lodged upon a
pile of driftwoood, where ravenous birds did indeed pick
his flesh from his bones, leaving the hideous bare skele-
ton to be discovered three weeks later by one Mr.
JPurtle.
On the night of the 19th, unobserved by a large party
of their enemies who intended to fall upon them and mur-
der them, the members of Zion's Camp passed through
Richmond in the darkness, and pitched their tents
between two branches of Fishing River.
While the members of the Camp were making prep-
arations for the night five armed desperadoes appeared
before them and, with many blasphemies, said: 4 *You
will see hell before morning. Sixty men are coming from
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 163
Richmond, and seventy more from Clay County to utterly
destroy you." More than three hundred bloodthirsty men
had engaged to concentrate at this point and attack
Joseph. But to the subsequent unbounded thankfulness
of the members of the Camp, the Lord interposed. When
night came a mighty hurricane arose, throwing the plans
of these savages into confusion, scattering them in the
utmost disorder, and melting their courage into abject
fright in the presence of the awful elemental strife. The
severity of the storm was not felt to the same extent
where Joseph and the camp had rested, but around them
hail fell like grapeshot, spreading terror among the peo-
ple and devastation amidst all the work of human hands.
While the surrounding region was in this state of con-
sternation, Joseph and his party took refuge in a log
meeting house near their camp, being compelled to enter
the building through a window. When the commotion
was over and they emerged from their retreat, the Prophet
gave orders that the parties to whom the house belonged
should be visited and tendered an explanation of the
intrusion and remuneration for any fancied damage. So
scrupulous was he not to trespass upon the rights of
others.
When the tornado burst only forty of the mob had
been able to cross Fishing River. They afterwards swore
that the little Fishing River rose thirty feet in thirty min-
utes, separating them from their companions, and making
them glad to flee back among their lawless friends in
Jackson County. The larger party of the mob, thus foiled
in their purpose to cross the river, also fled. The Big
Fishing River had risen nearly torty feet in one night
One of the mob had been killed by lightning.
On Saturday, the 21st of June, Colonel Sconce and
two other leading men of Ray County visited Joseph, and
begged to know his intentions, stating: "We see that
there is an almighty power that protects this people."
164 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
Colonel Sconce confessed that he had been leading a com-
pany of armed men to fall upon the Prophet, but had
been driven back by the storm. The Prophet with all the
mildness and dignity whidi ever sat so becomingly upon
him, and which always impressed his hearers, answered
that he had come to administer to the wants of his afflicted
friends and did not wish to molest or injure anybody. He
then made a full and fair statement of the difficulties as
he understood them ; and when he had closed the three
ambassadors, melted into compassion, offered their hands
and declared that they would use every endeavor to allay
the excitement.
On the 22nd day of June, 1834, while encamped on
Fishing River, Joseph received a revelation in which the
Lord declared that the Elders should wait for a season for
the redemption of Zion; that he did not require at then-
hands to fight the battles of Zion, for he would fight their
battles ; and this he addressed to the Camp which had
come up from Kirtland and other places into Missouri to
do His will and with the hope that they might contribute
to the redemption of His afflicted people. The Lord
rebuked many among the Saints in the branches of the
Church in the different states for their failure to join the
Camp of Zion in response to the call which He had made
upon them. The Lord had required the churches abroad
to send up wise men with their moneys to purchase lands
in Missouri, and thus assist in the redemption of Zion; but
they had not hearkened unto His words. After renewing
the promise that the day of redemption should surely come,
and promising those who had hearkened to His words that
He had prepared a blessing'and an endowment for them
if they would continue faithful, the revelation concluded:
And inasmuch as they [the Saints] follow the counsel
which they receive, they shall have power after many
days to accomplish all things pertaining to Zion.
And again, I say unto you, sue for peace, not only
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 165
the people that have smitten you; but also to all people;
And lift up an ensign of peace, and make a procla-
mation of peace unto the ends of the earth;
And make proposals for peace unto those who have
smitten you, according to the voice of the Spirit which is
in you, and all things shall work together for your good;
Therefore be faithful, and, behold, and lo, I am with
you even unto the end. Even so. Amen.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE SCOURGE OF ZION'S CAMP — JOSEPH AND HYRUM ATTACKED
BY CHOLERA — THEIR DELIVERANCE — THE CAMP DISBANDED
— THREATS AGAINST THE PROPHET — HIS FEARLESSNESS —
JOSEPH RETURNS TO KIRTLAND — SYLVESTER SMITH' S
CHARGE OF IMPURITY — THE PROPHET VINDICATED — VISIT
TO MICHIGAN — THE LAW OF TITHING.
The scourge came as had been foretold, and the Camp of Zion
felt its terrible effects. Moanings and lamentations filled
the air. In the divine economy it is not unfrequently the
case that the innocent suffer with the wrong-doers. "The
Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that His justice
and judgment may come upon the wicked." In this at-
tack some faithful men fell victims under the awful power
of this scourge, and the entire camp suffered more or less.
In organized bodies of Saints experience has proved that
it is not always the element which is guilty of transgres-
sion which alone has to endure the consequences, but the
entire body which harbors or permits the impurity has to
suffer. If it were not so, there would not be such impera-
tive reason for a community to look well to the work of
self-cleansing. It is when the judgment of Heaven falls
upon the obedient as well as the careless and disobedient
of any organization that the people are taught to strive
unceasingly, not alone each for his own but all for the
general purification. Some of the men who went down
from Kirtland with Joseph and who had joined him on
the read were among the noblest of human kind. They
were of such exalted faith and courage that their righteous
fame stands with that of the greatest disciples of old.
They adhered to the Lord's commandments and to His
prophet with all the fidelity of their souls. But other men
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 1G7
—unjust, selfish, rebellious by nature — were also among
the number of Zion's Camp; and as soon as they became
wearied by hardships they betrayed their own lack of in-
nate nobility. It was this latter class of men which
brought affliction upon the Camp.
It was about the 22nd day of June, 1834, when the
cholera appeared in Zion's Camp at Fishing River. During
the next week it raged in the midst of the party. Sixty-
eight of the Saints were attacked and thirteen of them
died. Among the fatal cases was that of Algernon Sid-
ney Gilbert, a man of talent and many good works,
though not always able to subdue self. Just before
the destroyer seized him, the Prophet called him to jour-
ney to Kirtland to receive there his endowments and from
there to proclaim the everlasting gospel of redemption-
Elder Gilbert's answer was: "I would rather die than go
forth to preach the gospel to the Gentiles." When he
thus answered the Prophet of God he was full of strength
and health; but in a few hours after the scourge had
breathed upon him he was dead. Joseph and Hyrum ad-
ministered assiduously to the sick, and soon they were in
the grasp of the cholera. They were together when it
seized them; and together they knelt down and prayed
for deliverance. Three times they bowed in supplication,
the third time with a vow that they would not rise until
deliverance from the desteoyer was vouchsafed. While
they were thus upon their knees a vision of comfort came
to Hyrum. He saw their mother afar off in Kirtland
praying for her absent sons, and he felt that the Lord was
answering her cry. Hyrum told Joseph of the comfort-
ing vision and together they arose, made whole every
whit. In ministering to their other brethren they dis-
covered that to dip an afflicted person in cold water af-
forded great relief and this was practiced generally until
the scourge had run its threatened course and had left
the Camp.
During the days of the scourge the Prophet had
168 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
moved his party from Fishiug River. On the 23rd of June,
they had reached within five or six miles of Liberty in
Clay County, when General Atchison and several other
persons went out from the town to meet the Prophet.
They pegged him not to go to Liberty as the people had
become much enraged. Accepting the advice, Joseph
turned from the road to Liberty and encamped on the
banks of Rush Creek-.
On the 25th of June the Prophet announced by letter
to General Atchison and party, that he had concluded to
disperse his company, in order to allay the prejudice and
fear on the part of citizens of Clay County. He requested
the gentlemen to whom his note was addressed to inform
the Governor of the action thus taken; because the
Prophet knew that Dunklin's ears were being filled with
the most malicious rumors concerning the purpose enter-
tained by Zion's Camp. In execution of his promise
Joseph disbanded his party, and the brethren scattered
themselves among the Saints of that region.
The next day a report was received from one S. C.
Owens, a leader of the Jackson County mob, in which he
declared that his people would not accept the proposition
•of the Saints — to buy the lands of the men who objected
to the Saints returning to their homes in Jackson County
— nor anything akin to it. He coolly recommended that
the Saints "cast their eye" on a distant and uninhabited
spot which he named, "to see if that was not a country
calculated for them."
One appeal after another was being made to the Gov-
ernor of the state ; but so far as practical help was con-
cerned, all were unanswered. Active hostilities in a gen-
eral sense against the Saints had ceased for the time be-
ing, and there was some reason for hoping that they would
be allowed to remain in Clay and surrounding regions. All
the honest and fair-minded settlers in that land were
forced to recognized the good qualities of the exiles from
Jackson. The Saints were industrious, charitable and
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 169
thrifty. Among them were no drunkenness, brawls nor
crimes which too often gave a bad character to other bor-
der communities.
To this prospect of peace the Prophet's personality
had greatly contributed. In all the march through Mis-
souri his magnificent qualities had impressed themselves
upon the people whom he met. His course had been that
of a worthy leader among men. He had shown in all his
intercourse with the inhabitants of Missouri the utmost
courage and generosity. It was his nature to extend con-
sideration and kindness toward others, and he was as re-
gardful of the rights of his fellow-men at this time as al-
ways before and always after during his lifetime. The
leading men of Clay County who were brought into con-
tact with him felt that he possessed remarkable power.
There was that in his dignified deportment and in the
fearless glance of his blue eyes which warmed the souls
of other men to his own, and they submitted to his
charm of manner, even when they had come to oppose
him. And when at last, to allay the fears of his avowed
enemies, he dispersed his party, while surrounded by
vindictive mobs who sought his life and the lives of his
associates, he evinced a courage and a wisdom as grand
as they were rare.
Jackson County was alive with men who had sworn
to assassinate him if he ventured within their reach.
What could have been more admirable than his noble
disregard of all their threats! On the 1st of July, 1834, un-
attended, except by two or three personal friends, he
crossed the Missouri River from Clay into Jackson Coun-
ty, visited Independence and saw all that goodly land
which the Lord had promised as a Zion, but which now
was under the desecration of murder, rapine and a verit-
able reign of terror.
He stood among the ruins of once peaceful homes and
gazed upon once fruitful fields which wicked men had
laid waste, and his great heart swelled nigh to bursting.
170 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Did any premonition come to him of that awful hour when
he should next look upon these scenes; when in chains he
should be carried through the streets of Independence, as
captive kings of old were dragged at their victor's chariot
wheels to make the populace shout with cruel joy! Well
mi^ht Joseph, Prophet of God, have indescribable emotions
as he gazed upon this spot, hallowed in his mind by so many
tender recollections and so many promised glories. Mobs
had done their work, Zion was desolate. Joseph himself
was free. But the day was not far distant, when he
should, as a captive, be brought to Independence and his
enemies should gloat over the tortured hero and his pale
but undaunted face.
The Prophet had gone to Independence without os-
tentation, but without fear. While he prayed there, the
eyes of the wicked were blinded, that they knew him not;
and when he returned to his brethren he was unscathed.
On the 3rd day of July, the Prophet organized a high
council near Liberty, in Clay County, and for several days
he was engaged in imparting instruction to the members
of that body, and such others as desired to listen to his
words of wisdom.
An appeal was made and published to the world re-
garding the grievances of the Saints, and asking for the
restoration of their rights, and for the privilege to live in
peace.
On the 9th day of July, Joseph, in company with his
brother Hyrum and Frederick GL Williams and others,
departed for Kirtland. Returning, the journey was as
toilsome as at first. The distance to be traversed was
one thousand miles, and but few of the comforts of civili-
zation existed for them along the path. Heat, thirst,
hunger and pain of body alike oppressed them and were
alike endured with patient fortitude. About the 1st day
of August Joseph reached his home.
In leaving the Saints in Missouri the Prophet had
hoped that for a time, at least, they would be blessed with
JOSEPH THE PK0PHET. 171
protection from their enemies, and that the brethren would
be accorded the opportunity to gain a maintenance for
their suffering wives and children. Although before he
parted with them many appeals had been made for a res-
toration to their possessions in Jackson County, it is not
probable that he entertained any hope that Governor
Dunklin would accomplish such a courageous act. Joseph's
subsequent zeal in building up Kirtland seems to indicate
that he had prescience of the continued exile of the Church
from the land of Zion.
Shortly after the Prophet's return to Kirtland, he
submitted before the high council some charges which had
been made against himself by one of the rebellious spirits
in Zion's Camp. This man, Sylvester Smith, had become
angered on the march by Joseph'n rebukes, which were
only uttered in kindness and to secure proper discipline
and mutual concession and forbearance among the breth-
ren; and in his rage Sylvester had declared that the
Prophet was corrupt in his heart. The complaint made
by Sylvester did not include any specific charge of im-
purity, and the Prophet might have passed it by without
notice. But he wanted to teach the brethren that no man
was above the law of God, and he cheerfully and patiently
submitted to an investigation. It was made fairly and
fully, with no undue favor to him ; and the result was a
complete vindication of the Prophet's character and
eventually a confession by Sylvester Smith of his own
injustice, wrong- doing and evil inspiration. Thus, by
his own example, Joseph showed to his brethren the
saintly course for the settlement of difficulties.
Joseph gave another evidence of his devotion to the
work and his personal humility, at this time. Labor upon
the house of the Lord in Kirtland was in progress, but the
poverty of the people and the surrounding difficulties
made the advancement very slow. Only thirty families
of Saints were then resident in Kirtland, and the toil and
self-denial of the little handful cannot be described.
172 JOSEPH THE PK0PHE1.
Joseph gave his services as foreman in the temple stone
quarry, and labored day after day with his own hands in
bringing out the mateiials for that important structure.
At the same time Hyrum was showing similar evidence of
his industry and meekness. It was he who lifted the first
spadeful of earth for the foundation trench, and he con-
tinued from that time on to watch and work and pray for
the success of this sacred undertaking.
Having placed all things in order in Kirtland for the
progress of the Lord's house, Joseph departed on the 16th
of October, 1834, with his brother Hyrum and others to
visit the Saints in the state of Michigan. They went by
water, and on board the steamer they met a man who
called himself Elmer. Not knowing who they were, in
the course of conversation he said: "I am personally ac-
quainted with Joe Smith; I have heard him preach his
lies, and now since he is dead I am glad. I heard Joe
Smith preach in Bainbridge, Chenango County, New
York, five years ago, and knew him because he had such
a dark complexion." Then he continued his exultations
at the supposed death of the Prophet. This is an illus-
tration of the malice and ignorance which prevailed at
that time. Joseph was not dead ; his complexion was not
dark; he had never been in Bainbridge. Elmer had prob-
ably heard the tirade of some sectarian minister against
Joseph Smith and thought he was praising God when he
lied about the Prophet, and that he was doing Christ's
service by exulting in his supposed death.
After preaching to the Michigan Saints for a brief
time and giving and receiving comfort in their society,
Joseph and his companions returned to Kirtland, reaching
there about the last of October. During the month of
November with so many labors upon his hands Joseph
found every moment of time occupied. He was able to
accomplish prodigious labors, because he obeyed the rule
which he had established over his life and which he tersely
states :
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 173
> J
"WHEN THE LORD COMMANDS, DO IT.
His scrupulous regard for the interests of others is
shown by a circumstance which occurred during the last
of November, 1834. Some brethren and sisters repre-
senting a branch of the Church in the east called at Kirt-
land. They had in their possession means with which to
purchase lands in Zion; but in view of the action of mobs
and the inaction of officials, they could not well proceed
to Missouri. The money was offered to the Church in
Kirtland, or to Joseph as its president; but as this was not
the purpose for which the means had been donated, he
would only take it in trust to be paid back with interest
in the ensuing spring; and he gave proper security for
the fulfillment of these conditions. The means thus ob-
tained was not devoted to 'his personal use, but was en-
tirely employed in the furtherance of Church works.
It was with the close of 1834 that a pledge of tith-
ing was first given, and the custom now in force was
begun, the doctrine having been foreshadowed in previ-
ous revelations from the Almighty. The principle of tithing
as now practiced very properly begun with the Prophet.
On the 29th day of November, 1834, Joseph united in
prayer with Oliver Cowdery for a continuation of divine
blessings; and being filled with joy on this occasion, they
entered into a covenant with the Lord as follows :
"That if the Lord will prosper us iu our business, and
open the way before us, that we may obtain means to pay
our debts, that we be not troubled nor brought into disre-
pute before the world, nor His people; after that, of all
that He shall give us, we will give a tenth, to be bestowed
upon the poor in His Church, or as He shall command;
and that we will be faithful over that which He has en-
trusted to our care, that we may obtain much; and that
our children after us, shall remember to observe this sac-
red and holy covenant; and that our children and our chil-
174 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
dren's children may know of the same, we have subscribed
our names with our own hands.
"Joseph Smith,
"Oliver Cowdert.
"And now, O Father, as thou didst prosper our father
Jacob, and bless him with protection and pro-perity wher-
ever he went, from the time he made a like covenant be-
fore and with thee; as thou didst, even the same night,
open the heavens unto him, and manifest great mercy and
power, and give him promises, so wilt thou do with us his
sons ; and as his blessings prevailed above his progenitors
unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills, even so
may our blessings prevail like his ; and may thy servants
be preserved from the power and influence of wicked and
unrighteous men; may every weapon formed against us
fall upon the head of him who shall form it; may we be
blessed with a name and a place among the Saints here,
*nd thy sanctified when they shall rest. Amen."
CHAPTER XXX.
THE GALLING OF CHRIST'S APOSTLES IN THE LAST DISPENSA-
TION OF THE FULLNESS OF TIMES — DUTIES AND POWERS OF
THE TWELVE — THEIR LABORS IN THE WORLD — ORGANIZA-
TION OF THE SEVENTIES.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in
all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then
shall the end come.
St. Matthew.
But before all these, they shall lay their hands on
you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the syna-
gogues, and into prisous, being brought before kings and
rulers for my name's sake.
And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and breth-
ren, and kinsfolks and friends; and some of you shall
they cause to be put to death,
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's
sake.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then
look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draw-
eth nigh.
St. Luke.
Our Lord and Master had His twelve special wit-
nesses to the world when His gospel was offered to all
mankind eighteen centuries ago. And so, in the re- estab-
lishment of the Church in this dispensation, Twelve
Apostles were called and ordained to be witnesses of
Christ, crucified and risen, and of Christ's gospel brought
176 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
forth through the darkness of ages and now restored to
stand forever.
The power, authority and scope of this Apostleship
are shown in the revelation given to the Prophet in Kirt-
land in the early part of the year 1835 :
The Twelve traveling counselors are called to be the
Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of
Christ in all the world.
And they form a quorum, equal in authority and
power to the three Presidents [the first presidency].
The Twelve are a traveling presiding High Council
to officiate in the name of the Lord, under the direction of
the Presidency of the Church, agreeable to the institution
of heaven; to build up the Church, and regulate all the
affairs of the same in all nations ;
The Twelve being sent out, holding the keys, to
open the door by the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus
Christ — and first unto the Gentiles and then unto the
Jews.
It is the duty of the Twelve, also, to ordain and set in
order all the other officers of the Church, agreeable to the
revelation.
On the Sabbath day, February 8th, 1835, Joseph
invited Brigham and Joseph Young to his home and lis-
tened to some of their sweetest hymns. They were
always noted for the excellence of their singing; but on
this occasion with such wondrous power did their voices
swell that the Prophet was lifted up in his soul and felt the
Holy Spirit descending upon them. Joseph had seen in
vision the brethren who had died of cholera in Missouri;
and he related the vision to his visitors, saying: "If I
get a mansion as bright as theirs, I shall ask no more."
He wept at the recital, and could not speak again for
JOSEPH THE PEOPHET. 177
some moments. When his composure returned, he told
Brigham that he should be one of the twelve special wit-
nesses, and said to Joseph Young: "The Lord has made
you president of the Seventies." Neither of the Brothers
Young fully understood the Prophet's meaning at that
time, but later they learned.
On the 14th day of February, 1835, the Prophet
called an assemblage at Kirtland of all the men who had
formed the Camp of Zion. He said to call this meeting
he had been directed by the Almighty. The Elders who
had passed through the trials and sufferings of the journey
to Zion were to be ordained to the ministry to go foith
and prune the vineyard for the last time before the com-
ing of the Lord. Twelve men were to be chosen as
Apostles to bear testimony of the name of the Lord Jesus
and to send it abroad among all nations, kindreds,
tongues 'and people.
Under the hands of the Prophet the three witnesses
of the Book of Mormon, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer
and Martin Harris were blessed by the direction of the
Holy Spirit to choose the Twelve Apostles of the Church.
The men thus selected were all equal in authority, but in
a later time the Prophet designated the order in which
they should sit in council — that is, according to age the
eldest first. And under this rule the first quorum of the
Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ in these
last days were: Thomas B. Marsh, David W. Patten,
Brigham Young, HeberC. Kimball, Orson Hyde, William
E. McLellin, Parley P. Pratt, Luke Johnson, William
Smith, Orson Pratt, John F. Boynton, and Lyman E.
Johnson.
The Apostles had their mission of salvation divinely
dictated unto them. How they have fulfilled its require-
ments, let answer the thousands from every continent and
every isle of the sea who have heard the message in their
native tongues!
It was the work which was great and which conferred
14
178 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
greatness upon those who engaged in it. The world has
never understood this. To man has been attributed the
success which has attended the system of religion which
Joseph Smith was the chosen earthly instrument to found.
Joseph himself had a wonderful personality ; and it was
the custom to give him credit for the early growth of the
Church numerically; and to ascribe its spread and the
devotion of its adherents to his individual power of attrac-
tion. But he did not so esteem himself; and the work
which the apostles have performed is proof that it is the
Holy Spirit which animates and the Holy Spirit which
convinces.
To the Twelve it was not only a call to the ministry;
for some of them it was a call to martyrdom.
Of the disciples chosen then and of those since
selected to keep the quorum complete, not one has escaped
the afflictions of time.
With some the pains were too intense to be endured,
the burdens too heavy to be borne; and they dropped
aside from the on-marching ranks to find, as they hoped,
repose and saety amidst the cooling shadows of that
world from which they had been chosen to be special wit-
nesses of the Son of God. Such are no longer His
Apostles.
But the others, with unshaken resoluteness, have
gone forward in fulfillment of their high mission, under
the scorching heat of fiery persecution. Joseph is their
captain and their fellow- soldier in the cause of Christ.
With him and after him many of them have, with contin-
uous and unyielding zeal, toiled steadily on until worn out
in the performance of the duty assigned them by their
Master Jesns: they have passed to the enjoyment of His
promised rest. With Him they and the other faithful
Apostles will stand triumphant when human time shall be no
more, and when the voice of the Eternal shall fill the
universe with the thunder of His judgments. They shall
not then be only twelve; for they who have been called
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 179
of God to this holy calling and who endure faithful,
though they may lay down their mortality, yet shall they
not lose their Apostleship; for it abideth with them in
this world and in the worlds to come.
To proclaim the truth in all the earth for a witness,
requires not only willingness but also numerical strength.
And so the Seventies were called by divine revelation.
They are to preach the gospel and to be special witnesses
unto the Gentiles, and in all the world; they are to act in
the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve,
in building up the Church and regulating all the affairs
of the same in all nations — first unto the Gentiles and then
unto the Jews.
And they form a quorum equal in authority to that of
the Twelve * * * Apostles.
On the 28th day of February, 1835, the Church in
council assembled began the calling of the quorum of
Seventies from the members of Zion's Camp, and this
ievoted organization of the Seventies speedily engaged in
its appointed labors.
Thus was the Prophet blessed with efficient aids
selected by the Spirit of God.
One day when Joseph had assembled the Elders in
Kirtland, soon after the establishment of the quorums of
Twelve and Seventy, he said to them that the test had
been made, the purpose of the journey to Missouri was
now clear, and God had chosen his Twelve and Seventy
from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who
had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham.
CHAPTER XXXI.
JOSEPH AS A RESTORER AS WELL AS A PBOPHET — THE BOOK
OF ABRAHAM — JOSEPH'S GROWTH INTO SCHOLARSHIP AND
STATESMANSHIP — DIFFICULTIES WITH WILLIAM StflTH.
Joseph Smith was not*only a prophet but a reformer— as
able as Luther, as bold as Zwingli. And he was more
than a reformer. He was a restorer — the greatest in his
personality and in the character of his work since the day
of the divine atonement.
Through him even the buried past reaches up to the
listening present, and the distant future bends down to
this gazing age. His work in revealing hidden truths
spans the circle of all earthly time — stretching from the
deciee by which the world was rolled into space unto the
moment when it shall become a purified and exalted
sphere. This comprehension was the divine gift to the
predestined martyr.
Through him had been revealed the hidden truths
concerning prehistoric America. From the hour when
Joseph gave to the world the Book of Mormon , all ignor-
ance concerning the ancient inhabitants of this land
became wilful. Then his labor of restoration reached
anoth9_ hemisphere and a remoter time.
ALuham, the friend of God, Abraham who died
thirty- si.; centuries ago, Abraham who was buried in the
cave of Macpelah, spoke through the modern prophet, his
descendant; and the manner of that communication so
manifestly shows the overruling hand of Providence that
no one can doubt the divine direction.
While Joseph had been laboring in Kirtland, journey-
ing to and from Missouri, teaching his brethren and
being taught of God, there were moving to him from one
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 181
of the catacombs of Egypt the writings of Father Abra-
ham and of Joseph who was governor in Egypt.
On the 7th day of June, 1831, a French traveler and
explorer penetrated the depths of a catacomb near the site
of Ancient Thebes. It had cost hirn time and treasure
and influence to make the entrance. After securing the
license to make his researches, he employed more than
four hundred men for a period of soine months to make
the necessary excavation. When he was able at last to
stand within this multipled tomb he found several hun-
dred mummies; but only eleven of them were in such a
state that they could be removed. He carried them away,
but died on his voyage to Paris. By his will the mum-
mies were bequeathed to Michael H. Chandler, his nephew,
and in search of this gentleman they were sent through
Ireland and finally across the sea. After two years of
wanderings they found their owner. Hoping to discover
some treasure of precious stones or metals, Mr. Chandler
opened the coffins or embalming cases. Attached to two
of the bodies were rolls of linen preserved with the same
care and apparently by the same method as the bodies.
Within the linen coverings were rolls of papyrus bearing
a perfectly preserved record in black and red characters
carefully formed. With other of the bodies were papyrus
strips bearing epitaphs and astronomical calculations.
The learned men of Philadelphia and other places flocked
to see these representatives ot an ancient time, and Mr.
Chandler solicited their translation of some of the char-
acters. Even the wisest among them were only able to
interpret the meaning of a few of the signs. From the
very moment when he discovered the rolls, Mr. Chandler
had heard that a Prophet lived in the west who could
decipher strange languages and reveal things hidden; and
after failing with all the learned, and having parted with
seven of the mummies and some few strips of papyrus,
bearing astronomical figures, he finally reached Kirtland
' and presented himself to Joseph with the four remaining
182 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
bodies, and with the rolls of manuscript. The Prophet,
under inspiration of the Almighty, interpreted some of the
ancient writings to Mr. Chandler's satisfaction. So far
as the learned men of Philadelphia had been able to
translate, Joseph's work coincided with theirs; but he
went much further, and in his delight Mr. Chandler wrote
a letter to the Prophet certifying to this effect.
Later some of the friends of the Prophet purchased
the four mummies, with the writings. Joseph engaged
assiduously to interpret from the rolls and strips of papy-
rus. The result of his labor was to give the world a
translation of the Book of Abraham. This book was writ-
ten by the hand of Abraham while he was in Egypt, and
was preserved by the marvelous dispensation of Provi-
dence, through all the mutations of time and dangers of
distance, to reach the hand of God's Prophet in this last
dispensation. By this record the Father of the Faithful
makes known what the Lord Almighty had shown to him
concerning the things that were before the world was;
and he declares that he did penetrate the mysteries of the
heavens even unto Kolob, the star which is nearest the
throne of God the Eternal One.
In the record of Joseph who was sold into Egypt is
given a prophetic representation of the judgment, the
Savior is shown seated upon His throne, crowned and
holding the sceptres of righteousness and power; before
Him are assembled the Twelve Tribes of Israel and all
the kingdoms of the world; while Michael the Archangel
holds the key to the bottomless pit in which Satan has
been chained.
At the time when Joseph, aided by the inspiration of
the Almighty, was enabled to make these translations, he
was studying ancient languages and the grandest sciences,
while he was also imparting instruction in the school of
the brethren in Kirtland, that others than himself might
have their minds fitted to grasp the sublimities of truth in
theology and history and the laws governing the universe.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 183
Joseph was now in his thirtieth year and was no longer
an unlearned farmer lad. He was the leader of the peo-
ple by the command of heaven, and he was the leader of
the people by his growing intellectual greatness. The
Prophet had already become a scholar. He loved learn-
ing. He loved knowledge for its righteous power.
Through the tribulations which had surrounded him from
the day when first he made known to a skeptical world
his communion with the heavens, he had been ever
advancing in the acquisition of intelligence. The Lord
had commanded him to study, and he was obeying. Such
branches of learning as he knew not, teachers were
employed to communicate. His mind, quickened by the
Holy Spirit, grasped with readiness all true principles,
and one by one he mastered these branches and became in
them a teacher.
Joseph Smith was the head of a committee which had
been appointed in September, 1834, to compile the doc-
trines of the Church for publication. And in Kirtland, at
a general assembly held on the 17th day of August, 1835,
that committee reported by presenting the book of Doc-
trine and Covenants to the .Church for the approval of the
congregation. Solemn testimonies were given of the truth
of the work and of the inspiration by which Joseph Smith
had uttered the revelations from on high. The testimony
of the Twelve on this subject closed as follows:
The Lord has borne record to our souls, through the
Holy Ghost shed forth upon us, that these commandments
were given by inspiration of God, and are profitable for
all men, and are verily true. We give this testimony unto
the world, the Lord being our helper: and it is through
the grace of God, the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ,
that we are permitted to have this privilege of bearing this
testimony unto the world, in the which we rejoice exceed-
ingly, praying the Lord always, that the children of men
may be profited thereby.
At the same time there was presented and accepted
184 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
the tenet of the Church concprning government and laws
in which the following passages occur, showing that thus
early in his career the Prophet's mind was trained in true
statesmanship and social philosophy :
We believe that governments are instituted of God for
the benefit of man, and that he holds men accountable for
their acts in relation to them, either in making laws or
administering them, for the good and safety of society.
We believe that no government can exist in peace,
except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will
secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience,
the right and control of property, and the protection of
life.
We believe that religion is instituted of God, and that
men are answerable to Him, and Him only, for the exer-
cise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to
infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; bur we do
not believe that human law has a right to interfere in pre-
scribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men,
nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the
civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control
conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the
freedom of the soul.
We believe that rulers, states, and governments have
a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of
all citizens in the free exerci-e of their religious belief;
but we do not believe that they have a right in justice, to
deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in
their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence is shown
to the laws, and such religious opinions do not justify se-
dition nor conspiracy.
We do not believe it is just to mingle religious in-
fluence with civil government, whereby one religious so-
ciety is fostered, and another proscribed in its spiritual
privileges, and the individual rights of its members as
citizens denied.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. U5
The Prophet was not present at the assembly, as he
was visiting Saints in Michigan ; but his hand was mani-
fest in its proceedings, for he had all the time led in pre-
paring the book for presentation to the Church.
With his staunch advocacy of truth, and his unyield-
ing adherence to the commandments of God, Joseph was
ever merciful to the weak and the erring. During the
summer of 1835, he was laboring in councils and meetings
in Kirtland and vicinity, and was chosen to take part in
the proceedings against several members who were to be
tried for utterances made against the Presidency of the
Church. Whether it fell to his lot to plead the cause of
the accused or to prosecute, though he himself might have
been the one who was wronged, he acted with so much
tenderness and justice that he won the love of all.
At this time he labored under serious financial distre-s.
The performance of the work laid upon him demanded
many expenditures, and often it seemed that he would be
involved in inextricable embarrassment. But the way was
constantly opened to him. His brethren were kind and
charitable, many of them presenting him or loaning him
sums sufficient for the performance of his labors and to
meet all his engagements; and all of these he blessed with
the gratitude of his soul, and was especially scrupulous to
pay at the time agreed upon.
Joseph was a dutiful son ; his strong affection for his
parents was ever a marked feature in his character. In
the early part of October, 183.\ his father was ill ; and,
though the Prophet was performing wearisome toil in
traveling, preaching and other duties — exposed to chilling
storms - he watched and waited on his parent with the ut-
most humility and tenderness. On the iOth day of October,
the elder Joseph was failing very fast, so much that his
life was despaired of. The Prophet prayed in secret most
earnestly that his father's life might be spared, and on
the morning of Sunday, the 11th of October, while he was
still upon his knees, the Lord said to him:
186 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
U MY SERVANT, THY FATHER SHALL LIVE."
That night Father Smith arose and dressed himself
and shouted and praised the Lord for his recovery.
One of the most sorrowful passages in the Prophet's
life opens with the 29th day of October, 1835. Joseph's
brother William was a man of violent temper which he
had not then nor ever afterwards subdued. Though not
destitute of qualities, which, if properly used, would have
made him a useful aud noble man, he was willful and
headstrong, and so impatient of contradiction and rebuke
that he often forgot his own high station as an Apostle of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and forgot the kindness of his
brother Joseph and the deference due him as a prophet of
God. On the day mentioned, at a high council meeting,
William abused Joseph in violent terms because of a just
ruling made by the Prophet. The noble and faithful
Hyrum, their elder brother, admonished William, but
without avail. He left the building and soon after en-
gaged in circulating evil reports against the Prophet.
Every effort was made by his friends to correct the wrong
and to bring him to a sense of his position. He made an
outward show of humility; but took an early occasion when
the Prophet was a guest at his house to assault him with
such violence that the effects were carried by Joseph to
his grave.
Satan was indeed trying the Lord's chosen one. At
home or abroad he was fated to have afflictions showered
upon his devoted head. But of all the woes of his per-
secuted life, not one could have been more saddening to
him than these attacks by his own brother in the flesh.
The Prophet harbored no malice ; but with the humili-
ty and the godliness which permeated all his intercourse
with his fellow-men he freely forgave William. Such
effect did the Prophet's kindness have upon William that
he repented and expressed his contrition with great sin-
cerity and earnestness. A reconciliation took place at
which Father Smith and his brother John, with Hyrum,
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 187
Joseph and William were present. The elder Joseph ad-
dressed them all in a pathetic manner, so much so that
they wept. They all covenanted at that time to endeavor
to build each other up in righteousness. Happy would it
have been for William if he had then taken the advice of
the Prophet and his father; but he violated his word, de-
spised their counsel, and fell from his high estate.
Not only did Joseph show tenderness in his dealings
with his brother, but also with others of the Twelve.
When Thomas B. Marsh, the president of the Twelve
Apostles, complained that the Prophet in chastening them
for the wrong-doing of some of their number had used
harsh language, the Prophet rea lily begged their forgive-
ness if he had pained their feelings. And by his noble
conduct he brought about a restoration of harmony and
fellowship. If his brethren of the Twelve had all been as
mindful of the rule of righteousness as Joseph himself,
the dissensions in that quorum which cost some of its
brightest members their standing would not have oc-
curred.
CBAPTER XXXIL
COMPLETION AND DEDICATION OF THE KIRTLAND TEMPLE —
SUBLIME VISIONS TO THE SAINTS — THE WORDS OF THE
DIVINE REDEEMEK — JOSEPH'S GRANDMOTHER VISITS HIM,
THEN DIES IN PEACE — HIS MISSION TO THE EAST.
The building of the Kirtland temple was accomplished by
the utmost self-sacrifice. Nearly three years had been oc-
cupied in its construction; and during this time the Saints
had given of their substance and had toiled without ceas-
ing to make a habitation fit for the ministration of angelic
visitants and of the Holy One, Himself. The consum-
mation of this work had been very near to the Prophet's
heart, especially since the tribulations in Missouri had
shown that no house of the Lord could be erected speedily
in the center stake of Zion.
Wondrous were the visions bestowed in that sacred
edifice. Previous to its completion the glories of the
heavens had been unfolded to the Prophet and his breth-
ren while administering in the ordinances there. On the
21st of January, 1836, Joseph met with Sidney Rigdon
and Frederick G. Williams, and his father, Patriarch
Joseph Smith, Sen., at one of the finished school-rooms
in the building to anoint their heads with holy oil. They
united in anointing and blessing the Prophet's father as
the Patriarch and to anoint their heads; and each of the
First Presidency was then anointed and blessed under the
hands of Father Smith. While they were engaged in this
labor marvelous visions and revelations were bestowed.
The Prophet says :
The heavens were opened upou us, and I beheld the
celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 189
in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent
beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that king-
dom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire;
also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the
Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of that
kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with
gold. I saw fathers Adam and Abraham, and my father
and mother, my brother Alvin, who has long since slept,
and wondered how it was that he had obtained an inherit-
ance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this
life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the
second time, and had not been baptized for the remission
of sins.
Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying:
All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel,
who would have received it if they had been permitted to
tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of our God;
also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of
it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall
be heirs of that kingdom, lor I, the Lord, will judge all
men according to their works, according to the desires of
their hearts.
Many other things did the Prophet see and hear. He
beheld that all children who died before reaching years of
accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of our
God. A holy comfort this, which takes the place of all
the black threats concerning infantile damnation. He saw
the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb in foreign lands, stand-
ing in a circle, with their clothes tattered and their feet
swollen, with their eyes cast downward, and J sus was
standing in their midst, but they did not behold Him, and
the Savior looked upon them and wept. Those of the
brethren who received the ordinances at this time saw
most glorious visions. Some of them beheld the face of
their Redeemer; others were ministered unto by holy
angels; the spirit of prophecy and revelation was poured
out in mighty power; and loud hosannas saluted the
heavens from those who were communing with the sancti-
fied hosts of the celestial kingdom.
190 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
On other occasions, before the entire structure was
completed and dedicated, similar visitations came to man-
ifest the power of God and His gracious acceptance of this
devoted labor.
On the morning of Sunday, March 27th, 1836, the first
temple ever built in this dispensation by the command of
God, was dedicated to His service. * A large assemblage
of the Saints had congregated in the building. Joseph
presided, and he was supported by the Priesthood. The
Prophet himself made the dedicatory prayer, which he
closed in the following words :
Hear us, O Lord, and answer these petitions, and ac-
cept the dedication of this house unto Thee, the work of
our hands, which we have built unto Thy name!
And also this Church, to put upon it Thy name; and
help ns, by the power of Thy Spirit, that we may mingle
our voices with those bright shining seraphs around Thy
throne, with acclamations of praise, singing, Hosanna to
God and the Lamb.
And let these Thine anointed ones be clothed with
salvation, and Thy Saints shout aloud for joy. Amen,
and j^nien.
Joseph was acknowledged by the several quorums,
standing upon their feet, as the Prophet and Seer of the
Church, and they gave a solemn pledge to uphold him as
such by their faith and prayers. This action was also
ratified by the entire congregation of the Saints in the
same manner. The Prophet then called upon the quorums
and the congregation to acknowledge the other members
of the First Presidency and the several quorums in their
offices and callings, and the vote was unanimous in every
instance.
After the administration of the Lord's Supper and the
expression of many solemn testimonies, the dedication was
sealed by shouting Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God
and the Lamb, three times sealing it, each time with
Amen, Amen, and Amen.
Brigham Young had the gift of tongues powerfully
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 191
upon him and made an address, which David W. Patten
interpreted. Then the Prophet made a short exhortation
also in tongues, and afterward blessed the congregation
in the name of the Lord, and the assembly dispersed.
The same evening the Prophet met the quorums in
the temple. Brother George A. Smith stood up and began
to prophesy, when a noise was heard like the sound of a
mighty rushing wind which filled the building. All the
congregation rose in an instant, being moved upon by an
invisible power. Many began to speak in tongues and
prophesy, others saw glorious visions. The temple was
filled with angels. People from the neighborhood came
running toward the temple, having heard an unusual
sound and seen a brilliant light like a pillar of fire rising
above the structure. These spectators were amazed at
what they saw and heard.
On the 29th of March the Prophet met with many of
the brethren in the most holy place in the Lord's house
and fasted and prayed and performed sacred ordinances.
In obedience to the commandment, they remained together
throughout that whole day and the succeeding night.
While they were there the Holy Spirit rested upon them;
and they continued, until the morning light broke, to
prophesy and give glory to God. The same services were
repeated the day following.
Joseph said to the quorums that he had now com-
pleted the organization of the Church, having passed
through all the necessary ceremonies, and that they were
at liberty to go forth and build up the kingdom of God.
At nine o'clock in the evening he retired from the temple
and left the meeting in charge of the Twelve Apostles,
who remained to prophesy and speak in tongues until
again the morning dawned. During the night the Savior
appeared with a host of ministering angels. The Prophet
said that it was a Pentecost long to be remembered, for
the sound should go forth from that place unto all the
world.
192 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
The next day, Thursday, March 3 1st, the ceremonies
in the temple were repeated for the benefit of those Saints
who could not find room in the house on the preceding
Sabbath.
On Sunday, the 3rd day of April, 1836, after the reg-
ular service of the day, the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery
retired to the pulpit and dropped the veils by which it was
separated from the body of the house, and -bowed in
solemn and silent prayer. After rising, a visin of super-
nal sublimity and beauty was opened to the eyes of their
understanding. They saw the Lord standing upon the
breastwork of the pulpit, and under his feet they saw a
paved work of pure gold in color like amber. His eyes
were as a flame of fire, the hair of His head was white
like the pure snow, His countenance shone above the
brightness of the sun, and His voice was as the sound of
the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah,
saying :
I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am
he who was slain, I am your advocate with the Father;
Behold, your sins are forgiven you, you are clean
before me, therefore lift up your heads and rejoice.
Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the
hearts of all my people rejoice, who have with their might
built this house to my name.
For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name
shall be here, and I will manifest myself to my people in
mercy in this house ;
Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto
them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my
commandments, and do not pollute this holy house.
Yea, the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands
shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which
shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my
servants have been endowed in this house;
And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign
lands, and this is the beginning of the blessing which
shall be poured out upon the heads of my people. Even
so. Amen.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 193
This vision closed, and then the heavens were again
opened. Moses appeared -and committed unto them the
keys of the gathering of Israel. After this came Elias,
who gave to them the dispensation of the gospel of Abra-
ham. When this vision had closed, Elijah, the prophet
who was taken to heaven without tasting death, appeared
unto them, testifying that the time had fully come which
was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi concerning the
coming of Elijah — before the great and dreadful day of
the Lord — to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children
and the children to the fathers, lest the earth should be
smitten with a curse.
During several weeks following the dedication of the
temple the Prophet and his associates were constantly
engaged in measures for the spiritual advancement of the
people and with the building up of Kirtland. A comfort-
ing thing came to Joseph at that time. It was in the
month of May, 183 i, when his uucles Asael and Silas
Smith arrived in Kirtland with their families, and bring-
ing with them the Prophet's grandmother-, Mary Smith.
This noble woman was ninety-three years of age; she was
the widow of Asael Smith, who had prophesied concern-
ing the coming forth of Joseph and who had lived to
accept the Book of Mormon. The aged Mary had traveled
five hundred miles to see her grandson, the Prophet.
For ten days all her relatives in Kirtland enjoyed the
pleasure of her presence, and then she gently fell asleep
in death.
On the 25th day of July, 1836, the Prophet departed
with his brother Hyrum, Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cow-
dery, on a mission to the Eastern states. He labored
diligently in the vicinity of Salem in Massachusetts, and
while there received a revelation in which the Lord
declared that many people from that part would in His
due time be gathered out to journey to Zion.
Joseph returned to Kirtland in the month of Septem-
ber.
15
CHAPTER XXXIII.
CLAY COUNTY SORROWFULLY BIDS THE SAINTS TO MIGRATE
INTO THE WILDERNESS — JOSEPH SENDS A DIGNIFIED LET-
TER TO THE CITIZENS — CONTINUANCE OF MOB AUTOCRACY
IN JACKSON — DUNKLIN'S HELPLESSNESS — THE SAINTS
FORM THE NEW COUNTY OF CALDWELL AND LAY OUT FAR
WEST.
They were eastern men, whose manners, habits, cus-
toms, and even dialect, are essentially different from our
own. They are non-slaveholders, and opposed to slavery,
which in this peculiar period, when Abolitionism has
reared its deformed and haggard visage in our land, is
well calculated to excite deep and abiding prejudices in
any community where slavery is tolerated and protected.
This was the complaint raised against the Saints in
Clay County on the 29th day of June, 1836, by a mass
meeting of leading citizens who assembled at Liberty.
It will be remembered that when the mob had accom-
plished its awful work in Jackson County, the persecuted
Saints had sought and found a temporary refuge in Clay.
During all the intervening time of nearly three years,
constant efforts had been made to secure a restoration of
the Saints to their lawful possessions at Independence
and vicinity; but all in vain, for the mob power triumphed
over law, and murderous rapine still trampled upon law
and justice.
Clay County had been the only one to show any avail-
able hospitality toward the plundered ones. But now the
time had come when a feeling of self-preservation, as they
called it, prompted the citizens of even this charitable
region to send the Saints forth to renewed wandering.
The measures adopted were not intentionally cruel;
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 195
it is pitiable even at this hour to read the resolutions of
the mass meeting which decreed this exile; they show
that the men who forced them were sinning against their
own sense of justice, but for the sake of their own families
and property.
At the meeting at Liberty, John Bird was chosen
chairman, and John F. Doherty secretary. The recorded
minutes of that assemblage state that the reasons given
in the opening of this chapter, with other similar causes,
"have raised a feeling of hostility" against the Saints
"that the first spark might ignite into all the horrors and
desolations of a civil war, the worst evil that could befall
any country."
Continuing, the document says:
We therefore feel it our duty to come forward, as
mediators, and use every means in our power to prevent
the occurrence of so great an evil. As the most efficacious
means to arrest the evil, we urge on the Mormons to use
every means to put an immediate stop to the emigration
of their people to this country. We earnestly urge them
to seek some other abiding place, where the manners, the
habits and customs of the people will be more consonant
with their own.
For this purpose we would advise them to explore
the territory of Wisconsin. This country is peculiarly
suited to their condition and to their wants. It is almost
entirely unsettled; they can procure large bodies of land
together, where there are no settlements, and none to inter-
fere with them. It is a territory in which slavery is pro-
hibited, and it is settled entirely with emigrants from the
north and east.
The religious tenets of this people are so different
from the present churches of the age, that they always
have, and always will excite deep prejudices against them
in any populous country where they may locate. We,
therefore, in a spirit of frank and friendly kindness, do
advise them to seek a home where they may obtain large
and separate bodies of land, and have a community of
their own. We further say to them, if they regard their
own safety and welfare, if they regard the welfare of their
19 J) JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
families, their wives and children, they will ponder with
deep and solemn reflection on this friendly admonition.
If they have one spark of gratitude, they will not
willingly plunge a people into civil war, who held out to
them the friendly hand of assistance in that hour of dark
distress, when there were few to say, God save them. We
can only say to them, if they still persist in the blind
course they have heretofore followed in flooding the coun-
try with their people, that we fear and firmly believe that
an immediate civil war is the inevitable consequence. We
know that there is not one among us who thirsts for the
blood of that people.
We do not contend that we have the least right, tinder
the Constitution and laws of the country, to expel them by
force. But we would indeed be blind, if we did not fore-
see that the first blow that is struck, at this moment of
deep excitement, must and will speedily involve every in-
dividual in a war, bearing ruin, woe and desolation in its
course. It matters but little how, where, or by whom, the
war may begin, when the work of destruction commences,
we must all be borne onward by the storm, or crushed
beneath its fury. In a civil war, when our home is the
theatre on which it is fought, there can be no neutrals;
let our opinions be what they may, we must fight in self-
defense.
We want nothing, we ask nothing, we would have
nothing from this people, we only ask them, for their own
safety, and for ours, to take the least of two evils. Most
of them are destitute of land, have but little property, are
late emigrants to this country, without relations, friends,
or endearing ties, to bind them to this land. At the risk
of such imminent peril to them and to us, we request them
to leave us, when their crops are gathered, their business
settled, and they have made every suitable preparation to
remove. Those who have forty acres of land, we are wil-
ling should remain until they can dispose of it without
loss, if it should require years. But we urge, most strong-
ly urge, that emigration cease, and cease immediately, as
nothing else can or will allay for a moment, the deep ex-
citement that is now unhappily agitating this community.
* * * * * * *
That if the Mormons agree to these propositions, we
will use every means in our power to allay the excitement
JOSEPH THE PliOPHET. 197
among our own citizens, and to get them to await the re-
sult of these things.
That it is the opinion of this meeting that the recent
emigration among the Mormons should take measures to
leave this c-unty immediately, as they have no crops on
hand, and nothing to lose by continuing their journey to
some more friendly land.
This paper had the unanimous support of the meet-
ing, and when this deciee, mingling the sorrow of humane
men with the cruel necessity of what seemed self-preserva-
tion, was entered, the meeting adjourned for three days.
In the meantime a committee named in the resolution was
to confer with the leaders of the Saints and obtain their
reply.
When the Prophet heard of this new mandate of
banishment he was on the eve of starting from Kirtland
upon his journey to the east; but before going he forward-
ed a letter signed by himself, his counselors, his brother
Hyrum, and Oliver Cowdery, to the committee of citizens
at Liberty entrusted with the promulgation of the order of
exile, in which letter the following passages occur:
Under existing circumstances, while rumor is afloat
with her accustomed cunuing, and while public opinion is
fast setting, like a flood-tide against the members of said
Church, we cannot but admire the candor with which your
preamble and resolutions were clothed, as presented to the
meeting of the citizens of Clay County, on the 29th of June
last. Though, as you expressed in your report to said
meeting — C4 We do not contend that we have the least
right, under the constitution and laws of the country, to
expel them by force,' 7 — yet communities may be, at times,
unexpectedly thrown into a situation, when wisdom, prud-
ence, and that first item in nature's law, self-defense,
would dictate that the responsible and influential part
should step forward and guide the public mind in a course
to save difficulty, preserve rights, and spare the innocent
blood from staining that soil so dearly purchased with the
fortunes and lives of our fathers. And as you have come
forward as "mediators," to prevent the effusion of blood,
198 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
and save disasters consequent upon civil war, we take this
opportunity to present to you, though strangers, and
through you, if you wish, to the people of Clay County,
our heartfelt gratitude for every kindness rendered our
friends in affliction, when driven from their peaceful
homes, and to yourselves, also, for the prudent course in
the present excited state of your community. But, in
doing this, justice to ourselves, as communicants of that
Church to which our friends belong, and duty towards
them as acquaintances and former fellow citizens, require
us to say something to exonerate them from the foul
charges brought against them, to deprive them of their
constitutional privileges, and drive them from the face of
society:
They have been charged hi consequence of the whims
and vain notions of some few uninformed, with claiming
that upper country, and that ere long they were to possess
it, at all hazards, and in defiance of all consequences.
This is unjust and far from a foundation in truth. A
thing not expected, not looked for, not desired by this so-
ciety, as a people, and where the idea could have origin-
ated is unknown to us. We do not, neither did we ever
insinuate a thing of this kind, or hear it from the leading
men of the society, now in your country. There is nothing
in our religious faith to warrant it, but on the contrary,
the most strict injunctions to live in obedience to the laws,
and follow peace with all men. And we doubt not, but a
recurrence to the Jackson County difficulties, with our
friends, will fully satisfy you, that at least, heretofore,
such has been the course followed by them. That instead
of fighting for their own rights, they have sacrificed them
for a season, to wait the redress guaranteed in the law,
and so anxiously looked for at a time distant from this.
We have been, and are still, clearly under the conviction,
that had our friends been disposed, they might have main-
tained their possessions in Jackson County. They might
have resorted to the same barbarous means with their
neighbors, throwing down dwellings, threatening lives,
driving innocent women and children from their homes,
and thereby have annoyed their enemies equally, at least
— but this to their credit, and which must ever remain
upon the pages of time, to their honor — they did not.
They had possessions, they had homes, they had sacred
rights, and more still, they had helpless, harmless inno-
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 199
cence, with an approving conscience that they had violated
no law of their country or their God, to urge them for-
ward — but, to show to all that they were willing to forego
these for the peace of their country, they tamely submit-
ted, and have since been wanderers among strangers
(though hospitable) without homes. We think these suf-
ficient reasons to show to your patriotic minds, that our
friends, instead of having a wish to expel a community by
force of arms, would suffer their rights to be taken from
them before shedding blood.
* * # * 5jC %. *
Another charge of great magnitude is brought against
our friends in the west — of "keeping up a constant com-
munication with the Indian tribes on our frontier, with
declaring, even from the pulpit, that the Indians are, a
part of G-od's chosen people, and are destined, by heaven,
to inherit this land, in common with themselves." We
know of nothing, under the present aspect of our Indian
relations, calculated to rouse the fears of the people of the
upper Missouri, more than a combination or influence of
this nature; and we cannot look upon it other than one of
the most subtle purposes of those whose feelings are em-
bittered against our friends, to turn the eye of suspicion
upon them from every man who is acquainted with the
barbarous cruelty of rude savages. Since a rumor was
afloat that the western Indians were showing signs of war,
we have received frequent private letters from our friends,
who have not only expressed fears for their own safety, in
case the Indians should break out, but a decided deter-
mination to be among the first to repel any invasion, and
defend the frontier from all hostilities. We mention the
last fact, because it was wholly uncalled for on our part,
and came previous to any excitement on the part of the
people of Clay County, against our friends, and must de-
finitely show, that this charge is also untrue.
Another charge against our friends, and one that is
urged as a reason why they must immediately leave the
county of CI ay, is, that they are making or are likely to make,
the same "their permanent home, the center and general
rendezvous of their people." We have never understood
such to be the purpose, wish or design of this society; but
on the contrary, have ever supposed, that those who ever
resided in Clay County, only designed it as a temporary
200 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
residence, until the law and authority of our country
should put them in the quiet possession of their homes in
Jackson County; and such as had not possessions there,
could purchase to the entire satisfaction and interest of
the people of Jackson County.
Haviug partially mentioned the leading objections
urged against our friends, we would here add, that it has
not been done with a view on our part, to dissuade you
from acting in strict conformity with your preamble and
resolutions, offeredto the people of Clay County, on the 29th
ult., but from a sense of duty to a people embarrassed,
persecuted and afflicted. For you are aware, gentle-
men, that in times of excitement, virtues are transformed
into vices, acts, which in other cases and under other cir-
cumstances, would be considered upright and honorable,
interpreted contrary from their real intent, are made ob-
jectionable and criminal ;and from whom could we look for
forbearance and compassion with confidence and assur-
ance, more than from those whose bosoms are warmed
with those pure principles of patriotism with which you
have been guided in the present instance, to secure the
peace of your county, and save a persecuted people from
further violence and destruction?
It is said that our friends are poor; that they have but
little or nothing to bind their feelings or wishes to Clay
County, and that in consequence, have a less claim upon
that county. We do not deny the fact, that our friends
are poor: but their persecutions have helped to render
them so. While other men were peacefully following their
avocations, and extending their interest, they have been
deprived of the right of citizenship, prevented from enjoy-
ing their own, charged with violating the sacred principles
of our constitution and laws; made to feel the keenest as-
persions of the tongue of slander, waded through all but
death, and are now suffering under calumnies calculated
to excite the indignation and hatred of every people among
whom they may dwell, thereby exposing them to destruc-
tion and inevitable ruin!
If a people, a community, or a society, can accumu-
late wealth, increase in worldly fortune, improve in sci-
ence and arts, rise to eminence in the eyes of the public,
surmount these difficulties, so much as to bid defiance to
poverty and wretchedness, it must be a new creation, a
race of beings superhuman. But in all their poveity and
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 201
want, we have yet to learn, for the first time, that our
friends are not industrious and temperate, and wherein
they have not always been the last to retaliate or resent
an injury, and the first to overlook and forgive. We do
not urge that there are not exceptions to be found: all
communities, all societies and associations, are cumbered
with disorderly and less virtuous members — members who
violate in a greater or less degree the principles of the
same. But this can be no just criterion by which to judge
a whole society. And further still, where a people are
laboring under constant fear of being dispossessed very
little inducement is held out to excite them to be in-
dustrious.
We think, gentlemen, that we have pursued this sub-
ject far enough, and we here express to you, as we have,
in a letter accompanying this, to our friends, our decided
disapprobation to the idea of shedding blood, if any other
course can be followed to avoid it; in which case, and
which alone, we have urged upon our friends to resist
only in extreme cases of self-defense; and in this case not
to give the offense or provoke their fellow- men to acts of
violence,— which we have no doubt they will observe, as
they ever have. For you may rest assured, gentlemen,
that we would be the last to advise our friends to shed the
blood of men, or commit one act to endanger the public
peace.
We have no doubt but our friends will leave your
county, sooner or later, — they have not only signified the
same to us, but we have advised them so to do, as fast as
they can without incurring too much loss. It may be said
that they have but little to lose if they lose the whole.
But if they have but little, that little is their all, and the
imperious demands of the helpless, urge them to make a
prudent disposal of the same. And we are highly pleased
with a proposition in your preamble, suffering them to
remain peaceably till a disposition can be made of their
land, etc , which if suffered, our fears are at once hushed,
and we have every reason to believe, that during the re-
maining part of the residence of our friends in your coun-
ty, the same feelings of friendship and kindness will con-
tinue to exist, that have heretofore, and that when they
leave yon, you will have no reflection of sorrow to cast,
that they have been sojourners among you.
To what distance or place they will
202 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
unable to say: in this they must be dictated with judgment
and prudence. They may explore the territory of Wis-
consin — they may remove there, or they may stop on the
other side — of this we are unable to say; but be they
where they will, we have this gratifying reflection, that
they have never been the first, in an unjust manner, to
violate the laws, injure their fellow-men, or disturb the
tranquility and peace under which any part of our country
has heretofore reposed. And we cannot but believe, that
ere long the public mind must undergo a change, when it
will appear to the satisfaction of all that this people have
been illy treated and abused without cause, and when, as
justice would demand, those' who have been the instiga-
tors of their sufferings will be regarded as their true char-
acters demand.
Though our religious principles are before the world,
ready for the investigation of all men, yet we are aware
that the sole foundation of all the persecution against our
friends, has arisen in consequence of the calumnies and
misconstructions, without foundation in truth, or right-
eousness, in common with all other religious societies, at
their first commem ement; and should Providence order
that we rise not as others before us, to respectability and
esteem, but be trodden down by the ruthless hand of ex-
termination, posterity will do us the justice, when our
persecutors are equally low in the dust, with ourselves, to
hand down to succeeding generations, the virtuous acts
and forbearance of a people, who sacrificed their reputa-
tion for their religion, and their earthly fortunes and hap-
piness to preserve peace, and save this land from being
further drenched in blood.
We have no doubt but your very seasonable media-
tion, in the time of so great an excitement, will accomplish
your most sanguine desire, in preventing further dis-
order; and we hope, gentlemen, that while you reflect
upon the fact, that the citizens of Clay County are urgent
for our friends to leave you, that you will also bear in
mind, that by their complying with your request to leave,
they surrender some of their dearest rights and among the
fir t of those inherent principles guaranteed in the con-
stitution of our country; and that human nature can be
driven to a certain extent, when it will yield no farther.
Therefore while our friends suffer so much, and forego so
many sacred rights, we sincerely hope, and we have every
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 203
reason to expect, that a suitable forbearance may be shown
by the people of Clay, which if done, the cloud that has
been obscuring your horizon, will disperse, and you will
be left to enjoy peace, harmony and prosperity.
Nothing could be more admirable than the candor
and gentleness of this letter. While Joseph's heart was
bleeding for his injured brethren in the west, his sense of
justice was so exalted that he could recognize every hon-
est purpose among the men who felt forced to make the
edict of expatriation. The Prophet also sent a letter of
comfort to the Elders in Clay, counseling peace and yet
advising the protection at any cost of wives and little
children.
No delay had been granted in which to receive such
communication fromKirtland, and the leading brethren in
Clay assembled on July 1, 183b', the second day following
the mass meeting, and considered the proposition.
William W. Phelps was chairman, and John Corrill was
secretary. A committee consisting of twelve— E. Part-
ridge, I. Morley, L. Wight, T. B. Marsh, E. Higbee,
C. Beebee, I. Hitchcock, I. Higbee, S. Bent, T. Billings,
J. Emmett and R. Evans — was appointed to report a
preamble with resolutions. These were presented and
unanimously adopted as follows:
That we (the "Mormons' 7 so called) are grateful for
the kindness which has been shown to us by the citizens
of Clay, since we have resided with them, and being
desirous for peace and wishing the good rather than the
ill will of mankind, will use all honorable means to allay the
excitement, and, so far as we can, remove any foundations
for jealousies against us as a people. We are aware that
many rumors prejudicial to us as a society are afloat, and
time only can prove their falsity to the world at large.
We deny having claim to this or any other county or
country further than we purchase with money, or more
than the constitution and laws allow us as free American
citizens. We have taken no part for or against slavery,
but are opposed to the abolitionists, and consider that
men have a right to hold slaves or not according to law.
204 JOSEPH THE PROPHET. .
AVe believe it just to preach the gospel to the nations of
the earth, and warn trie righteous to save themselves
from the corruptions of the world; but we do not believe
it right to interfere with bondservants, nor preach the
gospel to, nor meddle with, or influence them in the least
to cause them to be dissatisfied with their situation in
life, thereby jeopardizing the lives of men. Such inter-
ference we believe to be unlawful and unjust, and dan-
gerous to the peace of every government fdlowing human
beings to be held in servitude. We deny holding any
communications with the Indians, and mean to hold our-
selves as ready to defend our country against their bar-
barous ravages as any other people. We believe that all
men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective gov-
ernments in which they reside, while protected in their
inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such gov-
ernments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming
every citizen thus protected, and should be punished
accordingly. It is needless to enter into a further detail
of our faith or mention our sufferings : —
Therefore Resolved, For the sake of friendship, and
to be in a covenant of peace with the citizens of Clay
County, and the citizens of Clay County to be in a coven-
ant of peace with us, notwithstanding the necessary loss
of property and expense we incur in moving, we comply
with the requisitions of their resolutions in leaving the
county of Clay, as explained by the preamble accompany-
ing the same; and that we will use our exertions to have
the Church do the same; and that we will also exert our-
selves to stop the tide of emigration of our people to this
county.
Resolved, That we accept of the friendly offer verbally
tendered to us by the committee yesterday, to assist us in
selecting a location and removing to it.
The dread decree was met and accepted. The Saints
were fully alive to the kindness of the people of Clay and
were willing to sacrifice what little comforts they had been
able to accumulate since their banishment from Jackson
and to takf up their sick and their helpless ones and
journey — but whither? Nobly did they repay the charity
which had been extended to them. If their presence was
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 205
a menace to the well-being of men who had in the hour of
affliction offered the hand of help, they would brave death
in the wilderness rather than have it so any longer. It
was an awful hour, but the alternative was exile or
dishonor to their pledge. Let their choice speak for them
throughout all the ages.
A home in civilization was denied to these afflicted
Saints. The old mob organization in Jackson was still
maintained. Only a few weeks previous to this time a
committee of officials in Jackson had formulated recom-
mendations to their fellow-ruffians in case the Saints
should attempt to come back to form a new settlement
or to repossess their own property. The chief execu-
tive of the state, Daniel Dunklin, under date of July
18th, made a miserable confession of his utter inability to
help or protect them. And the settled counties adjoining-
Clay had already refused to permit them to live and labor
within their borders.
But when the citizens of Clay witnessed the nobility
of the long-suffering Saints, they adopted a resolution
urging the keeping of "the peace towards the Mormons
as good faith, justice, morality and religion require. 77
Committees were appointed by these citizens to aid the
people in their removal. And before adjourning, the
meeting adopted the following resolution:
That this meeting recommend the Mormons to the
good treatment of the citizens of the adjoining counties.
We also recommend the inhabitants of the neighboring-
counties to assist the Mormons in selecting some abiding
place for their people, where they will be in a measure
the only occupants and where none will be anxious to
molest them.
In less than three months the Saints began their work
of removal from Clay County into the wilderness. They
had few of the facilities for extensive travel or for the
establishment of comfortable settlements. To the north
206 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
and east of Clay was Ray County, the upper part of which
was almost entirely unoccupied. But seven men lived
there, and these were bee-huuters who, having exhausted
the honey of that region, were about to desert the place.
The timber was poor and the land unattractive to ordinary
settlers. Into this place, known as the Shoal Creek
region, the Saints journeyed. They bought out the few
possessions of the bee-hunters and began to make homes.
The natural poverty of the country rendered it for a time
a place of safe refuge. But it was then, as it has been
since, the case, that the Latter-day Saints are left in
undisputed possession of a desert or a wilderness, until
they have redeemed it from physical chaos and made it a
delightful habitation for man — then their expulsion or
oppression begins. Their industry and thrift are a temp-
tation to the idle and dissolute.
With the simple hope of enjoying the life, liberty,
and religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution, the
Saints immigrated into northern Ray in considerable
numbers. In December, 1836, they petitioned the legis-
lature of the state of Missouri to incorporate the Shoal
Creek region and surrounding lands, which were almost
entirely unoccupied except by them, as a new county.
The prayer was granted in that month, and the county
was organized under the name of Caldwell. The city of
Far West was laid out during the winter,and in the spring
of 1837 preparations were made for the erection of a house
of the Lord in that place.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE FIRST SERIOUS APOSTASY AND THE FIRST GREAT MISSION-
ARY MOVEMENT — DISSENSIONS AT KIRTLAND, AND SUC-
CESSFUL LABORS IX ENGLAND JOSEPH MEETS JOHN
TAYLOR IN CANADA — TRIALS AND MURDEROOS MOBS AT
PAINESYILLE — THE PROPHET WADES THROUGH SWAMPS
IN THE NIGHT, CARRYING SIDNEY UPON HIS BACK.
I say unto all the Twelve, Arise and gird up your loins,
take up your cross, follow me, and feed my sheep.
Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant
Joseph, for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my
hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given
unto him, and also to you ward, shall not be taken from
him till 1 come.
Wherefore, whithersoever they (the First Presidency)
shall send you, go ye, and I will be with you.
This was a commandment given through Joseph unto
Thomas B. Marsh, at Kirtland, on the 23rd day of July,
1837, concerning the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb. It
was necessary; for pride and disunion and the ambitions
of the world were doing their work among some of their
number, and they would heed neither the counsels of
Joseph nor the direct behest of the Almighty.
Not for many generations had men been favored of
the Lord as they had been. They had received heavenly
manifestations sufficient, one would think, to keep them
from ever turning away from the truth. But after receiv-
ing these glorious evidences of divine favor, like their
master, Jesus, they were u tempted of the devil; 7 ' yet not
like their Lord, some of these men yielded to temptation
and fell from their high estate. They did not resist the
'208 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
allurements of Satan. The desire for the glory of the
world, the wealth of the world, the vain things of the
world, overcame them. A mania to speculate, to make
money, became almost universally prevalent. It was a
general tendency in the United States, and especially in the
west, at the time of which we write. Forgetting the vis-
ions of eternity they had beheld ; forgetting the holy anoint-
ing they had received; forgetting their high callings and
their dedication to the ministry of the Son of God, lead-
ing men became real estate dealers, merchants, organ-
izers of "wildcat" schemes, and eventually deadly ene-
mies of the work of God and of him whom He had chosen
as His Prophet. Simultaneously with this spirit of specu-
lation, came the spirit of apostasy and rebellion against
the authority of heaven. So rife did this spirit become
that those who rebelled were applauded, and even men were
glad to find excuse in the example of the Twelve and
other leading men for their own wrong-doing. The few
of the Apostles who were willing to fulfill the requirements
of the gospel in all things were ridiculed and every effort
was made to dissuade them from the course they were
pursuing. Jealousy and hatred of the Prophet cropped
out on every hand. Those who disobeyed were called
wise by all the disaffected spirits; and those who made
every required sacrifice in humility were called foolish.
But the generation had not passed away before the Lord
repaid according to His promise. The men who had ex-
alted themselves were abased into nothingness; while
those who had bowed their heads in humility were exalted.
Today the names of the proud and the vain of that time
are almost forgotten; while the names of the Apostles
who endured all things faithfully are held in most solemn
and sacred remembrance by the congregation of Israel.
It was a time of great trial. In the winter of 1836-7
preparations had been made to establish a bank to be
known as the Kirtland Safety Society — an institution
wisely designed to ameliorate the financial condition of
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 209
the community. The society was established; but the
Prophet's plan for its usefulness and the general pros-
perity failed through the envy and covetousness of some
of the leading men. The sorrow which this brought to
Joseph cannot be described. He had labored and advised
with no other object than the general benefit, carrying up-
on his own shoulders a greater burden than was imposed
upon anyone else. He had not sought self- aggrandise-
ment, nor would he willingly permit the avarice of other
men to gain advantage over the community's welfare.
He took part in every labor ; and had assumed per-
sonally a large share of the work and care of the printing
office, which was at that time a great responsibility and
expense.
So many evil surmisings, so much disunion and apos-
tasy followed in quick succession the spirit of speculation
to w T hich reference has been made, that the Prophet was
led to exclaim:
It seemed as though all the powers of earth and hell
were combining their influence to overthrow the Church.
The integrity of all was tested. Instances of fidelity
to the Prophet were not wanting, especially among the
meek and humble, and when the Prophet met with these
their presence and words brought solace and encourage-
ment to his wounded spirit. Among the prominent men
defection was too general. Several of them yielded to a
spirit of murmuring and fault-finding who afterwards bit-
terly repented of their unstable and weak conduct and
lack of integrity and courage. The feeling which Joseph
had during these sorrowful days is illustrated by remarks
which he made to Elder Wilford Woodruff, when the latter
called upon him in the spring of 1837, on the eve of his
departure on a mission to Fox Islands. At that time Elder
Woodruff was one of the first seventy. The Prophet
scrutinized him very closely, as though he would read his
inmost thoughts, and remarked: * 'Brother Woodruff, I
16
210 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
am glad to see you ; I hardly know, when I meet those
who have been my brethren in the Lord, who of them are
my friends, they have become so scarce."
When Elder Woodruff reported to Sidney Bigdon, who
was then the Prophet's first counselor, how strongly he
was impressed to carry the gospel to Fox Islands, to a
people who, he felt, were ready to receive it, Sidney said:
4 'That is right; I wish you would go; for if you do, some
of the devils who are now here in Kirtland will follow
you, as they will every faithful man who goes out into the
vineyard."
The enemies of the cause abroad were united with
the spirits of dissension at Kirtland, to produce disaffec-
tion against the Prophet himself and to attribute to him
those evils which were solely caused by disobedience to his
counsel and the command of God expressed through him.
As we have seen, some of the Twelve were so far blinded
that they joined secretly with the enemy; but there was
not a quorum in the Church that was entirely exempt from
the evil influence.
Joseph was stricken with illness in June, 1837. And
while he was wrestling with the adversary to overcome the
physical affliction, the doubting members of the Church
were taught by apostates that his woes had been sent upon
him because of his transgressions. When the Prophet
was once more restored through prayer and the blessing
of the Almighty to his condition of health and power, he
humbly said of his enemies:
The Lord judge betwixt me and them, while I pray
my Father to forgive them the wrong.
While Satan was spreading this spirit of dissension
through Kirtland, the Lord was directing to Joseph the
magnificent missionary movement to the old world. About
the first day of June, 1837, that devoted and ever-constant
Apostle Heber C. Kimball was set apart by the spirit
of prophecy and revelation to preside over a mission to
JOSEPH THE PEOPHET. 211
England — the first in that dispensation. With him were
associated Apostle Orson Hyde and Elders Willard Rich-
ards and Joseph Fielding; and when they reached New
York they were joined by three brethren from Canada,
John Goodson, Isaac Russell and John Snyder. They
sailed from the United States on the 1st day of July, 1837,
on the ship Garrick, and landed in Liverpool on the 20th
day of that same month.
This was the commencement of a glorious work,
which has brought the honest-in- heart by tens of thousands
from foreign lands, and which yet continues and must
continue until the elect shall be gathered and the judg-
ments of God are poured out upon the nations. Though
this was the first missionary work of the Church per-
formed in another hemisphere, self-denying brethren had
up to this time been diligent in laboring in Canada, in the
states aud among the Indians on the border, that the peo-
ple of this continent might have an opportunity to hear
and obey.
It was a glorious overcoming of the evil which me-
naced the Church at that hour. Drawing strength and
means from abroad to the cause, the missionary move-
ment also opened a glorious opportunity for Elders in
Zionto forsake speculations, vanities, dissensions, and to
prove their faith by their devoted efforts for the salvation
of their fellow-men.
Apostles Kimball and Hyde, and Elder Richards and
companions landed on this foreigh shore absolutely money-
less. They did not have so much as a cent or a farthing,
but they were not dismayed. The Prophet of God had
pronounced upon their heads blessings which they knew
could not fail. Immediately after landing at Liverpool
they advanced to Preston, thirty miles distant. When
they alighted from the 3oach they found unfurled above
their heads a large flag bearing this inscription in letters
of gold:
212 JOSEPH THE PK0PHET.
The banner was floating in compliment to Queen Vic-
toria who had bnt recently ascended the throne after the
death of King William IV; bnt it was accepted as a
promise and a good omen by the Elders, and they were
not disappointed.
Elder Joseph Fielding had a brother who resided at
Preston, and with whom he and his sisters, one of whom
afterwards became the wife of President Hyrum Smith,
and the mother of his soa, Joseph F. Smith, had corres-
ponded. He was a minister of religion, and was styled
Rev. James Fielding. Three days after the Elders landed
in England they preached in Mr. Fielding's church, at
Preston, and seven days later they baptized nine persons
in the River Ribble near that place. The continuation of
their work was marked by a noble zeal on their own part
and a prosperity under the divine assistance almost with-
out parallel.
The hatred against the Prophet took violent form at
this time. Every possible effort was made by apostates
and mobocrats to harass and injure him. On the 27th day
of July, 1837, he departed from Kirtland with Elders
Brigham Young, Albert P. Rockwood, Sidney Rigdon and
Thomas B. Marsh for the purpose of performing a mission
among the Saints in Canada. A considerable work was
being done there, and the Prophei desired to give per-
sonal counsel and assistance to the Saints. But when
they reached Painesville, a few miles from Kirtland, writs
in civil action and warrants of arrest were served upon
Joseph for the purpose of detaining him. These suits
were vexatious and without any foundation in law or jus-
tice. Their purpose was stated by Sheriff Kimball, the
man who served the papers upon the Prophet, to Elder
Anson Call as follows :
We don't want your Prophet to leave Kirtland, and
he shan't leave.
Two or three times during that day the civil suits
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 213
against him were dismissed, and he was discharged from
the criminal warrants, their trumped-up character being
evident. But this was only to make a show of justice;
for the sheriff went after the Prophet as he was leaving
Painesville, sprang into his carriage and served another
writ upon him. Though this case was manifestly unjust
as the others, he was held to bail in the sum of $700 —
quite a large amount in those days, considering the pov-
erty of the people and the petty nature of the suit. It
was decided by the court that no one who lived in Kirt-
lancl should be accepted as sureties upon the bonds.
This order was made for no other purpose than to pre-
vent the giving of bail, as it was hoped that Joseph
could not secure it elsewhere and that his person would
remain in the hands of his enemies. It was Anson Call,
then living at Madison, who gave the necessary security
for the Prophet's liberation, thereby permitting him to
return to Kirtland. Some weeks subsequently, at the
time appointed for the trial, the Prophet appeared in the
court at Painsville; but as no one was there to main-
tain the charge against him, the falsifiers having in the
meantime become frightened at their own perjury, he was
acquitted.
On the night of July 28th, 1837, which was the day
after the arrest at Painesville, Joseph started again for
Canada with the brethren formerly named. On the after-
noon of the 29th of July, having reached Ashtabula, they
took a deck passage on board a steamer for Buffalo. They
had very little money, and their accommodations and fare
were of the humblest. They lay all night on the upper
deck of the boat with their clothes on and with their
valises for pillows. Despite the tribulations through
which he had just passed and despite the rudeness of his
couch, the Prophet slept serenely and restfully. When
they reached Buffalo the party separated, Elders Brigham
Young and Albert P Rockwood going to the Eastern
214 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
States, and Joseph — with Elders Rigdon and Marsh — de-
parting for Upper Canada.
During the month of August, 1837, Joseph traveled
among the branches of the Church in Canada, minister-
ing counsel and comfort to the Saints. At Toronto he
met John Taylor, who had been baptized by Parley P.
Pratt, and who was then the president over the Church in
Canada. The Prophet and the future President had a
time of rejoicing together. Joseph was deeply impressed
by the character of John Taylor. The latter had been a
preacher in the Methodist church at Toronto, and had in
that organization taken rank as a religious reformer. He
declared apostolic doctrines before he ever saw one of the
Latter-day Saints, and had been brought to trial before a
ministerial body for his heretical sermons. With the in-
spiration that was upon him he had refused to recant, al-
though his courageous act brought ostracism upon him-
self and family. It was this brave and scholarly man
who welcomed Joseph and labored with him in Canada.
It was this same hero who, after seven years of trial —
during which he never flinched — was with his beloved
Prophet at the martyrdom in Carthage jail. Joseph's as-
sociation with John Taylor, as with other leading men in
the Church, shows how the Lord was directing the foot-
steps of His future Apostles and Seers of that generation,
that they should come into communication and into living
and loving companionship with the founder of the Church.
When the Prophet returned from Canada he secured
a horse and wagon at the city of Buffalo, with which to
make the journey to Kirtland. Sidney was with him, and
they traveled to Painesville without molestation; but while
there, eating supper at the house of a Mr. Bissel who
had been the Prophet's advocate in the former law suits,
a mob surrounded the house and yelled for Joseph's
blood. Bissel knew that he himself might be a sufferer,
but he was determined that murder should not be com-
mitted .upon an unoffending man if he could prevent it.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 215
While the rabble was congregating in groups around the
house, he led Joseph and Sidney quietly through the
back door, and under cover of night they slipped be-
tween the assassin crowds and escaped. Scarcely were
they gone when the mob discovered the fact and, mount-
ing horses, pushed out upon the Mentor road. They
posted sentinels and lighted bonfires all along this track,
which they expected the Prophet and his companion would
travel to get into Kirtland. But Joseph took to the fields.
Sidney was weakened and almost helpless with illness and
fear. Many swamps lay in their way; and Joseph waded
through these and carried Sidney upon his back. He
kept away from the road far enough to be secure in the
darkness, while the fires which had been intended for his
detection really aided him to avoid his blood-thirsty pur-
suers. After a toilsome and rapid journey, during which
Joseph carried Sidney most of the way, they reached the
end of the Mentor road which intersected with a highway
leading two miles into Kirtland. The mob had not posted
their sentinels or built their fires further than this point;
and, being well past their enemies, Joseph and Sidney
were able to take the traveled road and to continue
their journey with less pain and toil. It was very late
on Saturday night when they reached their homes in
Kirtland greatly exhaused. None but their families
heard of their arrival until the next morning, when
Joseph appeared at meeting and preached a powerful
sermon to the assembled Saints.
Immediately after this time, on September ord, at a
conference held in Kirtland, Oliver Cowdery, Joseph
Smith, Sen., Hyrum Smith and John Smith were sus-
tained as assistant counselors to the First Presidency, the
congregation having declined to sustain Frederick G. Wil-
liams in the position which he held as second counselor to
the Prophet. Objection being also made to three of the
Apostles, Luke Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson and John F.
Boynton, they were by the voice of the Saints shorn of
216 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
their apostolic rank and were disfellowshiped ; however,
as they subsequently made protestation of their repent-
ance, they were received back into the Church and into
their station. But their humility was either a mere pre-
tense or was very volatile in its character; because not
many weeks elapsed until they were once more engaged
in an effort to ruin the Church and the Prophet.
Thus the first serious apostasy and the first great
missionary movement of the Church started together.
How unavailing the falsehoods and lack of fidelity have
been and how glorious the efforts of the servants of God
to spread the light of the gospel through every land, every
chapter of the Church's history from that time to this
speaks in eloquent tones.
In the August number of the Messenger and Advocate
was published a prospectus for the Elders'' Journal to be
edited by the Prophet. In pursuance of this announce-
ment the publication of the Messenger and Advocate was
suspended with the September number, and in October,
1837, the Elders 1 Journal was begun; but only two num-
bers were issued when, through the destruction of the
printing office by fire, in December, 1837, work of this
character was stopped.
CHAPTER XXXV.
john taylor's brave defense of joseph — the prophet
encounters the spirit of apostasy in missouri —
hyrum in the first presidency — brigham young's
courage and devotion — joseph driven from kirtland
— david w. patten's prophetic objection — sad
excommunications — fate of prominent men — adam-
ondi-ahman — the gathering.
After the apostasy became so general at Kirtland, those
who banded themselves against the Prophet and the faith-
ful Saints set up a claim to the ownership of the Temple.
Scenes of a turbulent and even violent character were
witnessed in the sacred building. Deadly weapons were
drawn and flourished and lives were threatened by the
members of the apostate party who sought by these means
to overawe the peaceful members of the Church and to
accomplish the ends they had in view.
After the visit which the Prophet, Sidney Rigdon
and Thomas B. Marsh made to Canada, Elder John
Taylor, with the view of making preparations to gather
with the Saints and to provide a home for himself and
family, repaired to Kirtland. While there he attended
services in the Temple. Fault-finding and accusation
were indulged in by leading men in their remarks, and
the Prophet was the target at which their shafts of
censure were aimed. They looked upon him and spoke
of him as a fallen prophet. These attacks aroused all
the lion of John Taylor's nature — and all who ever saw
him when strength and courage were demanded, can
remember how grandly he could rise to the occasion and
satisfy every expectation — and he arose and obtained the
privilege of speaking from one of the stands. He was a
218 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
stranger to the congregation; they knew not who he was
nor whence he came, but the Saints saw in him a man of
God. His fine presence, his courageous demeanor, the
plainness and strength of his reasoning and the power of
God which accompanied his words, made a great impres-
sion upon the entire audience. His address was a mast-
erly exposition of the great truths which God had inspired
Joseph to reveal — truths of which all the learned and
religious world were in entire ignorance until they were
brought forth by Joseph — and a defense of him as a
piophet of God. The dissenters were rebuked and the
Saints were strengthened and encouraged and all felt that
a man had appeared upon the scene who would yet be a
power among the Saints. This was President Taylor's
first public introduction to the Saints at the gathering
place.
Undaunted by the apostasy, and relying upon the
promise of the Lord, Joseph knew that the work would
surely grow and that places must be appointed for the
gathering of the Saints in the last days. To every human
appearance, in the spring and summer of 1837, the Church
was in a state of dissolution; but all who were animated
by the spirit of truth knew that the disunion at Kirtland
was but the effort of the adversary, which, with patience
and faithfulness, might be overcome.
In September, Joseph had not yet learned through
any earthly medium of the marvelous work which was to
be done abroad among the honest-in-heart; and yet, on
the 27th day of that month, he and Sidney Rigdon began
a journey to the west to visit the Saints in Missouri and to
establish places into which might come converts from
every land. They were accompanied on this journey by
Vinson Knight and William Smith, while Hyrum was
already at Far West, laboring with his accustomed energy
and fidelity for the advancement of the gospel and the
well-being of the Saints.
While the Prophet and his companions were on the
JOSEPH THE PEOPHET. 219
way, Hyram's wife Jerusha died at Kirtland, leaving five
little children. Her dying message was full of faith in
the gospel and was a comfort to her absent husband when
he learned it, and it proved that she was worthy to be the
consort of the destined patriarch and martyr.
A little over a month was consumed in the journey to
Far West; and soon after the Prophet's arrival he began
to hold meetings for the settlement of all difficulties which
had arisen between the brethren there, the same evil
spirit which had gained such sway in Kirtland having be-
gun to assert its power in Missouri. On the 7th of No-
vember, 1837, a general assembly of the Church was held
at Far West, at which Frederick Gr. Williams was rejected
by the congregation as a counselor to the President of the
Church; and, upon motion of Sidney Eigdon, Hyrum
Smith was elected to fill the vacancy. The local organiza-
tion was also perfected, and prayer was offered to God
that this place might be a gathering spot for the Saints.
As it appeared to the Prophet that the regions sur-
rounding Far Wast, occupied by other settlers, afforded
yet much room, the plat of Far West was enlarged into the
dimensions of a city, and every preparation was made to
afford a refuge to such as might choose to gather to this
new Stake of Zion. It was also decided that the time had
not yet come for the building of a temple at Far West, but
that the brethren should await the commandment of the
Lord upon this subject.
About the 10th of November, Joseph left Far West to
return to Kirtland, occupying a month in the journey and
reaching his home on the 10th day of December.
While he had been absent, the spirit of apostasy had
gained an ascendancy with men who had previously begged
forgiveness from the Prophet. Warren Parrish, John F.
Boynton, Joseph Coe and othei^s, — deeming that the
absence of the Prophet afforded them an opportunity —
banded themselves together to accomplish the overthrow
of the Church. . They renounced the Church of Jesus
220 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Christ, renounced the authority of the Prophet of God, and
set up an organization for themselves. Denouncing
Joseph and his faithful supporters as heretics, they be-
came so violent at any opposition to their falsehoods that
they even sought the lives of their former brethren.
Brigham Young always was one of the truest and
most intrepid of men; and during all these Kirtlancl
troubles he openly ani fearlessly declared to all that
Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and had neither
transgressed nor fallen from his divinely appointed place.
His unswerving and undaunted attitude, the plainness of
his declarations and the vigor of his defense of Joseph,
and his exposure of the schemes of his enemies, aroused
their fury. The apostates could not brook this boldness
of the Apostle Brigham; it interfered with their murder-
ous designs against Joseph and their hateful purposes
against the Church. Threats and cajolery having alike
failed to intimidate or divert him, they determined to
kill him. But he learned of their designs; and nearly
two weeks after the Prophet had returned to Kirtland and
was able to assert his own authority, Brigham Young
departed for Missouri to escape the assassins who
ravened for his life at Kirtland.
In the meantime the work abroad progressed glor-
iously. On Christmas day, 1837, a conference was held at
Preston, at which the reports showed that already the
branch of the Church in England numbered about one
thousand souls.
The letters conveying these happy tidings had not yet
reached the Prophet; and except as hope was inspired in
his heart by the Holy Spirit, he had little comfort through
the darkness of that night of 1837, for apostasy and trans-
gression strove hard to rule the weak and ruin the staunch
at Kirtland.
The experience of 1836-7 in the Church demonstrated
as never before, that irrefragable testimonies concerning
the divide origin of: the gospel and the prophetic calling
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 221
of Joseph were not alone sufficient to keep men faithful.
Unflinching firmness and intrepidity were also indispens-
able; but preeminent above all other qualities, purity of
life was absolutely essential. The half century which has
since elapsed has abundantly confirmed this. The virtu-
ous, humble men who possessed steadfastness and faith in
the days of trial at Kirtland, have since grown to prom-
inence among the Saints. The qualities which they then
exhibited have had ample room for exercise in the subse-
quent vicissitudes through which the Church has passed.
The Lord has tried and proved them ; they have acquired
confidence themselves; and the people have ever looked to
them as leaders who could be trusted and upon whose
courage, judgment and integrity they could safely rely.
In this connection it is worthy of remark that the
three men who have succeeded the Prophet Joseph as
Presidents of the Church, were all distinguished during
Joseph's lifetime for their love for the truth and their
unswerving affection and loyalty to him as the Prophet
of God. President Brigham Young, probably above all
men in Kirtland, displayed these qualities during the
stormy scenes of the last year of his residence at that
place.
President Wilford Woodruff, though not so prom-
inent in those days as he afterwards became, was expostu-
lated with, coaxed and ridiculed by some of his old
friends, notably Warren Parrish, who had been his fellow-
missionary in the Southern States, for the purpose of
inducing him to join them and turn against the Prophet.
But the integrity of the man was immovable and all their
efforts proved unavailing.
With the dawn of the new year confusion and mob-
ocratic power increased, and on the 12th of January,
1838, Joseph and Sidney were driven from Kirtland to
escape mob violence. Their destination was Far West,
and they were pursued more than two hundred miles by
armed enemies seeking their lives. The weather was in-
<w
JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
tenselj 7 severe, and Joseph and his companion, with their
families who had joined them, suffered greatly in their
endeavor to elude the murderous pursuit. Several times
the pursuers crossed the Prophet's track. Twice they
entered th^ houses where his party had gained a refuge,
and once they occupied a room in the same building with
only a partition between them, through which the Prophet
heard their oaths and imprecations concerning him. Thus
were they protected by divine power, else murder would
have been done, for the long and unavailing pursuit had
filled these would-be assassins with a fiendish desire for
blood. Owing to the severity of the season two months
were occupied in the journey to Far West, which place
the Prophet and his family reached on the 14th day of
March, 1838, accompanied by Apostle Brigham Young,
who had joined him on the way.
His arrival was very timely and necessary. Upon his
previous visit objection had been raised to some of the
local authorities and they were only accepted by the con-
gregation after having made humble confession of their
sins and entered their solemn promise of repentance.
But so soon as the Prophet had turned his back upon
Far West to go to Kirtland, the local presidency had
again entered into transgression, acting selfishly and arbi-
trarily in the administration cf financial affairs and com-
pletely losing the confidence of the body of the people.
While the Prophet had been journeying toward Mis-
souri after escaping the Kirtland mob in January, 1838,
a general assembly of the Saints iu Far West was held
on the 5th day of February, at which David Whitmei',
John Whitmer and William W. Phelps were rejected as
the local presidency; and a few days later Thomas B.
Marsh and David W. Patten, of the Twelve, were selected
to act as a presidency until the Prophet should arrive.
Oliver Cowdery too had been suspended from his position.
Persisting in unchristianlike conduct, W. W. Phelps and
John Whitmer had been excommunicated by the high
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 126
council in Far West, four days previous to the arrival of
Joseph.
This was the sad situation as the Prophet approached
the dwelling place of the Saints in Missouri. Many of
the people went out to meet him, and at a distance of one
hundred and twenty miles from Far West they found
him and tendered him teams and money to help him for-
ward. The joy they had in his presence arose from an
absolute knowledge of his power and authority as a
Prophet of God. They were certain that many of their
difficulties would end with his presence, because he would
give the light of truth by which to guide their footsteps.
On the eighth anniversary of the organization of the
Church a conference was held at Far West under the
presidency of Joseph. On this occasion David W. Patten
declared that he could not recommend Willam E. McLel-
lin, Luke Johnson and John F. Boynton as members of
the Twelve, and he was also doubtful of William Smith.
His objection to these men was prophetic; all of them lost
their standing, disgraced their calling, forfeited their
knowledge of the truth and their promise of reward here-
after, and sank back into the mire of this world.
At the same conference Brigham Young, David W.
Patten and Thomas B. Marsh were chosen to preside over
the Church in Missouri.
On the 12th of April, 1838, Oliver Cowdery was found
guilty of serious wrong-doing for which he had not made
repentance, and he was excommunicated by the high
council at Far West. Before the same tribunal on the clay
following David Whitmer was charged with persistent dis-
obedience of the word of wisdom and with unchristianlike
conduct, and he was also cut off. Luke Johnson, Lyman
E. Johnson and John F. Boynton were excommunicated
about the same time, and less than a month later a similar
fate befell William E. McLellin.
It was a sorrowful day for Joseph when he lost the
companionship of these' men who had been with him dur-
224 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
ing many trials and who had participated with him in the
glorious understanding of heavenly things. But they were
no longer anything but dead branches, harmful to the
growing tree, and it was necessary for the pruner to lop
them off. Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer were two
of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, designated by
the word of the Almighty to view the plates and to be
ministered unto by the Angel of the Record. Oliver had
stood with Joseph in the Kirtland temple and seen the
marvelous manifestations there. It was sad to see them
thus shorn of power and blessing, but they had demon-
strated their unworthiness to hold the positions which they
had filled, and the penalty must fall upon them that the
Church might escape the evil of their sins.
Had Joseph's faith in God and confidence in the mis-
sion which the Creator had entrusted to him been less
than it was, he might have temporized with these men and
not dealt with them in so strict and summary a manner.
He was attached to them by many ties. They had been
his aids and companions in days when he most needed
help, sustenance and friendship. Through his ministra-
tions of the gospel, God had enabled him to abundantly
repay them. Still he never could forget their past asso-
ciations. They were two of the heaven-selected witnesses
who had testified that God's voice had declared to them
that Joseph's translation of the Book of Mormon had been
made by the gift and power of God. If they should be
excommunicated from the Church, suppose that they,
filled with anger thereat, should abandon themselves to
the spirit of evil which so many men, so dealt with, yield-
ed to in those days; what then? Like others, might they
not renounce the truth, circulate all manner of falsehoods,
deny the divinity of the work and even the solemn testi-
mony which they had borne? These might be the reflec-
tions of an ordinary man under such circumstances ; but
such thoughts never troubled this Prophet of God. This
Church was not the Church of man. Jesus Christ, its
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 225
divine head, had promised He would take care of, sustain
and defend it. However much, then, Joseph's affection
and friendship might be for these men, he owed a para-
mount duty to his God to deal with transgressors in His
Church according to the laws which He had given. This
duty the Prophet performed without hesitation, leaving
all consequences for the Lord to control.
Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris, the
three witnesses of the divine origin of Joseph's translation
of the Book of Mormon, were all severed from the Church.
They became opponents of Joseph Smith and claimed he
had fallen into transgression; but amid all their trials,
temptations and vicissitudes they never hesitated or wav-
ered in regard to the published testimony which they gave
to the world concerning the Book of Mormon. Each of
them to the day of his death, asseverated in the most
solemn manner the truth of his testimony. All three are
dead; but they still live as immutable witnesses of the
truth and divinity of the record known as the Book of
Mormon, and by their testimony will the world yet be
judged.
In the sacred records which have come to us there is
no mention of any other man, that was so highly favored
as Oliver Cowdery was, falling from his exalted position
and forfeiting his blessings and Priesthood as he did.
What a lesson and warning does his history convey! It
is generally understood by those who knew him in the
days of which we write, that he was guilty of unvirtuous
conduct. This came to the Prophet's knowledge. He
warned Oliver of the consequences which would follow if
he did not repent. The warnings were unheeded. The
Spirit of God withdrew itself from him and he fell iuto
darkness ; and from being the second Elder in the Church ,
he lost his standing as a member and became an alien to
the people of God. For years he remained in this condi-
tion. After the exodus of the Saints from Nauvoo and
the city of Salt Lake had been founded, he arrived at
17
226 JOSEPH THE PK0PHET.
Kanesville, made suitable acknowledgements in great
humility to the Church there and was admitted to it by
baptism under the direction of Elder Orson Hyde. He
was re-ordained to the Melchisedec Priesthood and shortly
afterwards died at Richmond, in the state of Missouri.
Martin Harris also came back penitent to the Church,
after being for years separated from it. He was restored
to fellowship and the Priesthood, and was strong in his
testimony for the truth up to his death, which was at a
very advanced age at Smithfield, Cache County, Utah
Territory.
David Whitmer never rejoined the Church; but his
testimony concerning the divine origin of the Book of
Mormon was widely circulated through the newspapers of
the country. He died at Richmond, Missouri.
Of the three Apostles who were then excommunicated
— Boynton and the two Johnsons — one only rejoined the
Church. Luke Johnson came to Nauvoo at the time of
the exodus and was again admitted to fellowship. He was
one of the company of Pioneers who under the leadership
of President Brigham Young, left Winter Quarters on the
Missouri River in 1847, to find a home for the Latter-day
Saints in the great West, and which resulted in the set-
tling of Great Salt Lake Valley. Luke Johnson was a
member of the Church when he died in Salt Lake City.
President Brigham Young related a conversation him-
self and some others of the Twelve Apostles had with
Lyman E. Johnson on one occasion in Nauvoo. It was
after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph. They were
speaking of old times when they were all engaged in the
ministry and when Lyman E. Johnson was a zealous ad-
vocate of the truth. The bitterness he had exhibited in
Kirtland had passed away, and he was softened by the
association with his old companions. Speaking of the
heavenly influence and spirit which had accompanied him
in his labors in the ministry, Lyman said, "I would give
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 227
my right hand to-day if, by so doing, I could feel once
more as I did then."
In the month of April, 1838, the Lord commanded
His Saints through Joseph that the Church in these last
days should be called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints. He also commanded His people to arise and
shine that their light might be a standard for the nations,
and that the gathering to Zion and her stakes might be a
refuge from the storm and from the wrath which shall be
poured out upon the whole earth.
During the spring and early summer of 1838, the
Prophet was peacefully engaged in his labors at Far West
and in the regions surrounding. He established a stake
of Zion at Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County, Mis-
souri, at the spot where Adam had dwelt and where, ac-
cording to Daniel the Prophet, the Ancient of Days shall
sit. He assisted in the laying of the corner stones of the
house of the Lord at Far West on the 4th day of July.
And during all this time he was busily engaged in collat-
ing data and recording facts relating to Church history,
that the momentous events of the eight years preceding
might not be lost to the coming generations.
On the 8th day of July, John Taylor, John E. Page,
Wilford Woodruff and Willard Richards were appointed
by revelation to fill the places of those who had falleo
from the quorum of the Twelve. On the same day the
Lord declared the law of tithing to stand for the guidance
of the faithful forever.
Joseph also labored in the preparation of the Elders'
Journal, the publication of which was resumed in July,
1838, at Far West.
Apostles Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde had re-
turned from England, reaching Kirtland in May, 1838,
having left the English mission under the presidency of
Joseph Fielding, with Willard Richards and William
Clayton as his counselors.
On the 10th of March, 1838, the Seventies at Kirt-
228 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
land had decided to remove their quorum in a camp to
the west; and on the 6th day of July of this year, a large
body of the Saints, numbering five hundred and fifteen
souls — including and in charge of the Seventies — departed
from Kirtland for Missouri. Many sufferings were endur-
ed by this devoted band. Their ranks were decimated by
disease and persecutions. Some of them grew faint and
faithless and fell by the wayside. But the majority per-
severed; and about two hundred of the original number
reached Adam-ondi-Ahman in a body, while many of the
others came as speedily as their circumstances would
permit.
From that time on, until the mob once more tri-
umphed and drove them forth, the gathering of the Saints
continued.
CHAPTER XXX VI.
PENISTON AROUSES A MOB — HIS EXCITING SPEECH CAUSES A
CRUEL ATTACK UPON TWELVE UNARMED BRETHREN — ONE
HUNDRED AND FIFTY MOBOORATS DRIVE THEM FROM THE
POLLS — ADAM BLACK ? S PROMISE— FALSE CHARGES AGAINST
THE SAINTS — THE SHERIFF OF DAVIESS COUNTY ARRESTS
JOSEPH— BOGGS ORDERS THE RAISING OF THE MILITIA —
THE PROPHET PERCEIVES THE REAL OBJECT OF THIS
ORDER.
In August, 1838, the appalling mob crusade began which
resulted finally in the exile of the Saints from the state of
Missouri.
Previous to this time lands had been purchased by
some of the brethren in Daviess County, adjoining Cald-
well on the north. The Saints who settled there were in-
dustrious and law-abiding citizens. But the murderous
element in that region would not permit them to toil in
peace and enjoy the rights of freemen. Some of the old
mobbers were there, and they joined with the people who
had sold farms to the Saints and who saw in this wicked
conjunction of forces an opportunity to recover their pos-
sessions, without any other cost than the banishment or
murder of the "Mormon" - settlers. Colonel William P.
Peniston, who had led the mob in Clay County against
the Saints, was desirous of being returned to the state
legislature as a representative from Daviess County. The
election was to be held on the 6th day of August, 1838.
Previous to that time Peniston and his friends had or-
ganized with a determination to prevent the Saints from
voting, as it was believed that they would not aid their
old enemy — persecutor and law-breaker that he was — to a
230 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
seat in the law-making body of the state. A friendly judge
named Morin told some of the Elders of the plot against
them and advised them to go to the polls armed and ready
to resist the unlawful aggression. But, though they were
strong in their intention to exercise their rights as set
forth in the constitution and the laws, bitter experience
had taught them that such an act on their part as carry-
ing arms, merely for self -protection, would be called an
unlawful demonstration and would be followed by a general
assault upon them under cover of authority. So they
went to the polling places with no other weapons than
clean consciences, clean ballots and clean, strong hands.
At Gallatin, the principal town of the county, twelve of
them were preparing to cast their votes. But Peniston
mounted a barrel and made an exciting, desperate speech.
He was surrounded by an assemblage of ruffians number-
ing one hundred and fifty. To this inflammable material
he applied the torch.
He said:
The Mormon leaders profess to heal the sick, and
you know that is a damned lie.
He declared his opposition to the settlement of the
Saints in that region and told his hearers that if they suf-
fered the "Mormons" to vote, they would deserve to lose
their own suffrages.
Addressing the Saints he declared:
I headed a mob to drive you out of Clay County and
would not prevent your being mobbed now.
Incited to horrible rage by his incendiary tirade some
of the drunken men in the mob attacked the brethren, and
when effective resistance was made by the courageous
twelve, the entire rabble of one hundred and fifty set upon
them. The brethren fought with desperate courage. They
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 231
were defending the most sacred right of American citizen-
ship. Before the well-directed blows from their stout
arms and bare hands, scores of the mobocrats fell in the
dust; but at last, overpowered by numbers, and warned
by the authorities of the county that this attack had been
premeditated and they would do better to withdraw, the
brethren retreated.
Just outside of town they held a council to decide
whether to return to the polling places or seek th^ir homes.
While they were debating this point, they saw crowds of
mob recruits rush into the town armed with guns, pistols,
knives and clubs; and knowing that these men intended
to do murder upon them the brethren hastened to their
farms, collected their families and hid them in a thicket
of hazel brush for the night. A heavy rain came on. The
women and little children, drenched to the skin, were
compelled to lie upon the chilling ground through all the
stormy hours of darkness, while their husbands and fath-
ers stood sentry at the edge of the copse, expecting every
hour that the dread attack would come.
The next morning word was brought to Far West by
friendly settlers that some of the brethren had been killed
at Gallatin, while attempting to cast their votes, and that
the mob power was again supreme and was determined to
drive the Saints from the county of Daviess. It was
reported that the murderers would not even allow the
Saints to obtain the bodies of their dead nor direct their
burial.
Without a thought for his personal safety and with
that lion-like courage which ever distinguished him, Jo-
seph and his no less heroic brother Hyrum, with fifteen
or twenty others, started to aid the Saints in Daviess. On
the way Joseph was joined by a few brethren from dif-
ferent places, some of whom were fleeing from the mob,
and that night, having reached Colonel Wight's house in
Daviess County, he was rejoiced to learn that although
232 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
some of the brethren had been badly bruised, none had
been killed.
Among the men who had sold lands to the Saints was
one Adam Black, a justice of the peace and just then
judge elect for the county. This man, a sworn officer of
the law and an aspirant for further judicial honors, had
joined himself with the mob, probably in the hope to re-
cover his farm without cost. Joseph determined to see
this treasonable man and remonstrate with him against
the cruelty and dishonesty of his course. Upon visiting
him the Prophet received a verbal confession of his al-
liance with the rabble. Being further pressed to declare
what his future course would be concerning the Saints and
solicited to sign an agreement of peace, he prepared and
gave to the Prophet a document, of which the following is
an exact copy:
I Adam Black a Justice of the peac: of Davies
county do hereby Sertify to the people coled Mormin, that
he is bound to suport the constitution of this State, and
of the United State, and he is not attached to any mob,
nor will not attach himself to any such people, and so
long as they will not molest me, I will not molest them.
This the 8th day of August, 1838.
Adam Black J. P.
No force nor unkindness was used with Black. No
threat was uttered against him. The Prophet merely
visited him as he visited other men of prominence or
notoriety in that region, in a manly endeavor to subdue
the kindling flame. Whatever contempt Joseph felt for
the wretch who, with a judge's dignity upon him, could
connive with a lawless, murderous mob, he was able^to
suppress; his demeanor was that of dignity and repose.
But, as subsequent events proved, Black could not for-
give the Prophet for the humiliation which he had made
him feel.
That night some of the leading citizens of the county
called upon the Prophet, and together they agreed to hold
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 233
a conference at Adam-ondi-Ahman the next day at 12
o'clock. Pursuant to this appointment, both parties met
in friendly council, and entered into a covenant of peace,
to preserve each other's rights and to stand in their de-
fense. For the Saints such men as Lyman Wight, John
Smith, Vinson Knight, Reynolds Cahoon, and others resi-
dent there, gave this pledge. And for the other settlers,
Joseph Morin, senator-elect; John Williams, representa-
tive-elect; James P. Turner, clerk of the circuit court;
and other men of influence and character, made their
solemn promise. Having accomplished so much, the
assembly dispersed on terms of amity, and the Prophet
and his companions returned to Far West
The covenant of protection extended by the promi-
nent men of Daviess County, who knew and by their acts
admitted that the Saints had been unjustly dealt with
and unlawfully threatened, was without avail. On the
10th day of August, 1838, William P. Peniston and sev-
eral of his creatures made affidavit before Judge Austin
A. King that a large body of armed men, whose move-
ments and conduct he declared to be of a highly insur-
rectionary character, had been collecting in the county of
Daviess under the leadership of Joseph Smith and Lyman
Wight, to intimidate and take vengeance upon the other
settlers, to drive from the county all the old citizens and
possess their lands. He further averred that they had al-
ready committed great violence upon Adam Black by
forcing him to sign a paper of a disgraceful character.
This affidavit was made in Eay County; and on the 11th
day of August a committee of citizens came from that
place to Far West to make inquiry of the Saints concern-
ing the charges therein made. It stands as a monument of
disproof against the assertions of Peniston, that the citi-
zens of Ray County did not hesitate to place themselves
in the power of the ' 'Mormons" and their Prophet — know-
ing full well, as they did from past experience, that the
Saints were full of kind disposition toward all men who
234 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
would treat them as fellow- citizens possessed of equal
rights.
In answer to the inquiry of the committee from Ray
the Saints appointed a delegation of seven men, to make
a full exp'anation of the facts and to demonstrate to all
fair-minded men their own innocence as well as the
wrongs inflicted upon them.
On the 11th of August, 1838, the Prophet went to visit
some brethren from Canada who had settled on the banks
of the Grand River, and remained with them through the
succeeding day, which was the Sabbath, offering such
counsel as their situation required. On the 13th, while
returning to Far West, he was pursued by some of the
mobbers but managed to elude them. When within eight
miles of Far West he was met by several of the brethren
who had gone out to inform him that a writ had been is-
sued by Judge King for his arrest and that of Lyman
Wight, on a complaint made by Peniston. Calmly as one
returning to his evening rest from the harvest field the
Prophet went to his home, despite the fears and warnings
of his friends. He remained there awaiting the coming
of the officers for three days, all the time being engaged
in labor for the prosperity and protection of the com-
munity.
On the 16th of August, 1838, the sheriff of Daviess
County, accompanied by Judge Morin, appeared and said
that he had a writ to take Joseph into Daviess for trial ,
for the offense of visiting that county on the 7th of Au-
gust. The sheriff was no doubt surprised to find the
Prophet and to serve his writ without molestation, be-
cause a report had been spread by the mob that Joseph
would not be apprehended by legal process. Joseph in-
formed the sheriff that he always hoped to submit to the
law of his country. The sheriff was impressed as well
as astonished by the calm action and dignified deportment
of the Prophet; and when Joseph expressed a wish to be
tried in Caldwell instead of Daviess County, since he
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 235
thought that the statute of the state gave him that privi-
lege and justice for him in Daviess was out of the ques-
tion, the sheriff declined to serve the writ and said he
would go to Richmond to consult Judge King. Joseph
promised to remain at home until the sheriff returned.
The pledge was fulfilled ; and when the officer got back
he told Joseph that Caldwell was out of his jurisdiction
and he would not act.
For the greater general prosperity, the Saints in the
various parts of Caldwell County now organized under the
Prophet's direction into agricultural companies, to enclose
their lands into large fields. Joseph showed them how
this plan would be economical and add facility to the till-
ing of the soil. So readily could this inspired man turn
from the tragic tribulations of life to render to his breth-
ren calm assistance in their daily labors!
On the 28th day of August, 1888, Adam Black made
oath before a justice of the peace of Daviess County that he
had been threatened with instant death by an armed force
of more than one hundred and fifty men on the 8th day
of August. He named several of the brethren whom he
charged with aiding and abetting in the perpetration of
the offense, and this was Black's revenge upon the Prophet
who had detected him in an attempt to steal back the
land which he had sold to the Saints.
The agitation in Daviess County and the perjuries of
the foiled mobbers aroused Lilburn W. Boggs, of memory
already infamous, who was now Governor of the state;
and he sent letters to General David R. Atchison and six
other generals, ordering them to raise immediately within
the limits of their divisions four hundred mounted men
armed and equipped as infantry or riflemen. This act,
which was ostensibly for the protection of good order, ac-
complished its wicked purpose. It aroused intense excite-
ment and inflamed the desire of the mob to find an excuse
for an attack upon the Saints, since they knew that the
militia would be composed of men who hated the "Mor-
*J36 JOSEPH THE PKOPHEI.
mons" and would be willing to plunder them on the first
opportunity.
Joseph saw the tendency of events and wrote at this
time in his journal as follows:
There is great excitement at present among the Mis-
sourians, seeking if possible an occasion against us. They
a ; e continually chaffing us, and provoking us to anger if
possible; one sign of threatening following another. But
we do not fear them; for the Lord God, the Eternal Father
is our God, and Jesus, the Mediator is our Savior, and in
the great I AM is our strength and confidence. We have
been driven from time to time, and that without cause,
and been smitten again and again, and that without provo-
cation, until we have proved the world with kindness, and
the world proved us that we have no design against auy
man or set of men; that we injure no man; that we are
peaceable with all men; minding our own business, and
our own business only. We have suffered our rights and
our liberties to betaken from us; we have not avenged
ourselves for those wrongs. We have appealed to magis-
trates, to sheriffs, judges, to governors and to the Presi-
dent of the United States, all in vain. Yet we have
yielded peaceably to all these things. We have not com-
plained at the great God. We murmured not; but peace-
ably left all, and retired into the back country, in the
broad wild prairie, in the barren and desolate plains, and
there commenced anew. We made the desolate places to
bud and blossom as the rose; and now the fiend-like race
are disposed to give us no rest.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
JOSEPH VOLUNTEERS FOR TRIAL AND LYMAN WIGHT FOLLOWS
— BEGINNING THE STUDY OF LAW — THE TRIAL BEFORE
A COWARD JUDGE, WITH A PERJURED WITNESS— MILITIA
CALLED OUT, BUT THE MOB PRACTICALLY DEFIES IT—
BOGGS CONTINUES THE WORK OF OPPRESSION.
Angered at the frustration of their plots of force and
legal treachery against the Prophet, the mob continued to
spread reports in August and September of 1838, that he
was defying the law and refusing submission to process of
court. This perjured tale received additional credence
among the uninformed from the fact that the Daviess
County sheriff had failed to arrest him; though, as all
should have known, this failure was no fault of Joseph.
But the falsehood was bringing renewed menace upon the
Saints. Upper Missouri erupted a lava stream of bad
men into Daviess, Carroll, Saline and Caldwell Counties.
Something must be done to turn aside the overflow or it
would sweep over all the dwelling places of the Saints.
To stay the fiery river of hate, the Prophet offered
himself as a sacrifice. On the fourth day of September,
1838, he volunteered, through his lawyers, Generals Atch-
ison and Doniphan, to be tried before Judge King, in
Daviess County. Lyman Wight, who had been charged
with him, followed his example.
It was characteristic of this industrious Prophet, that
on the day when he tendered his liberty and his life as a
price for the physical and political redemption of his
brethren, he began the methodical study of law. The
anxiety natural to his position was unfelt. He had looked
so often upon danger that its face was no longer terrible.
238 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
And he knew that such learning as he should ever acquire
must be gained in the midst of turmoil. He wanted to
know the science upon which statutes were based, and to
become learned in the knowledge of his country's consti-
tution and enactments that he might the better minister
temporal salvation to his fellowmen, and the hour when
prison and even murder menaced him was as propitious as
any he might ever see.
The time appointed for the trial in Judge King's
court was Thursday, the 6th day of November, 1838.
Joseph was there, but the case could not proceed, because
the prosecuting witness was absent, and no testimony was
forthcoming. The court adjourned for the day, and
Joseph returned to his home, but the next morning he was
again in attendance and the trial proceeded. Peniston
prosecuted and Adam Black swore to everything which
Peniston asked. He had been bribed by money, prom-
ises or threats, else*hewas incited by murderous hate, and
he told things which manifestly could not have had any
existence except in his false mind. He was the only wit-
ness against the defendants. In their behalf four reput-
able men testified, proving incontestably that Black's
oaths were perjury and Peniston 's complaiut was a lie.
Judge King admitted in private conversation that nothing
had been proved against the Prophet and his companion,
and yet he bound them over in bonds of $500. Without
a murmur the Prophet and Lyman submitted and gave
the necessary bail.
From the trial they were followed to Far West by
two gentlemen who stated that they had come from Chari-
ton County as a commission of inquiry in behalf of their
fellow citizens. A demand had been made by the mob-
bers upon the residents of Chariton County for assistance
to capture Joseph Smith and Lyman Wight, and a com-
mittee had been appointed by the fair-minded people of
Chariton to investigate the situation. When these gentle-
nun saw that the real purpose of the request was to secure
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 239
ruffian help to impoverish the defenseless Saints and drive
them once again into the wilderness, they declared that
they had been outrageously imposed upon by the demand
of the mob, and they returned to their own county filled
with sympathy and friendly feeling for Joseph and his
brethren. Their findings they subsequently embodied in
an affidavit.
An attack was planned by the mob upon Adam-ondi-
Ahman; on the 9th a wagon laden with guns and ammuni-
tion in charge of a party of the murderous rabble was
going to that place from Richmond. But it was inter-
cepted by Captain William All red, who arrested the men
in charge, John B. Comer and two others — Miller and
McHoney — and took possession of the weapons. A letter
was addressed to Judge King immediately £y the Saints,
asking him what should be done with the prisoners and
the captured munitions. This coward responded to turn
the prisoners loose and let them receive kind treatment.
He was the judicial officer who, to satisfy the mob instead
of satisfying justice, had placed the Prophet an 1 Lyman
Wight under bonds when, by his own confession, not one
illegal act could be proved against them. Concerning the
guns he was reluctant to give advice, although he promised
that they should not be taken from the Saints to be con-
verted and used for illegal purposes.
Under the same date this unjust judge wrote to
General Atchison to send two hundred or more men to
force the "Mormons" to surrender. He well knew that
the Saints were not in a rebellious or unlawful attitude,
nor in a position to fight. They had not even the power
to resist mobocratic aggression against themselves, to
say nothing of being the assailants in any illegal move-
ment.
On the 12th of September, the men who had been
arrested while transporting guns to the mob m Daviess
County, were held to bail for their appearance at the cir-
cuit court.
240 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
About the same time a large body of the roob entered
De Witt in Carroll County, and warned the brethren to
leave on pain of death.
William Dryden, justice of the peace in Daviess
County, complained falsely to the Governor that service
of process from his court, issued against Alanson Ripley,
George A. Smith and others for threatening Adam Black,
had been withstood.
General Atchison called out the militia of Clay and
Ray Counties which, under the command of Brigadier-
General Doniphan, marched to the timber on Crooked
River, while he went with a single aide to Far West, the
county seat of Caldwell, to confer with the leading men
among the Saints. Here he was the guest of the Prophet.
Doniphan's troops had ostensibly been called into the
field to suppress an insurrection and preserve peace. But
instead of the military powers being used as a menace to
the mob, it was operated as if the long-suffering Saints
had been the aggressors. General Doniphan, a friendly,
fair and kindly- disposed man, was acting under the Gov-
ernor's orders, and the responsibility of his conduct falls
chiefly upon the executive of the state. The mob prison-
ers were demanded and were set free with no regard for
any other law than that which seemed to reign supreme in
Missouri— the law of mobocratic will. The arms which
had been seized on the way from Richmond into Daviess
County were collected and delivered up to the General.
From Crooked River General Doniphan brought his troops
through Millport in Daviess County to the spot where a
mob had congregated to make an attack upon the Saints.
When the General read an order of dispersion to the rabble
they declared that their object was solely for defense; and
yet they would not even permit the General in command of
the state militia to approach them without going through
such military formalities as might have greeted a flag of
truce from an opposing force, while all the time that he
was conferring with them guards were marching in and
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. l 241
out, showing that the camp was being kept in a state of
activity. Although they promised to obey the order re-
quiring them to withdraw, they failed to do so.
From this place the General proceeded to the spot
where the Saints had assembled together for mutual pro-
tection under the direction of Lyman Wight. A confer-
ence ensued in which the Saints agreed to disband, to
surrender up any one of their number accused of crime,
on condition that the hostile forces of the mob, only a few
miles distant, should be dispersed. The Saints had every
wish to comply with the law and to avoid every appear-
ance of resistance, but they knew too well that if they
scattered, unless the mobbers were also disbanded, they
would be murdered and plundered. General Atchison,
also in command of troops, was joined on the 15th at the
county seat of Daviess by General Doniphan and his regi-
ments. He found that the mobbers were still under arms
and still aggressive, while the Saints were still huddled
together for safety. To him the Saints also stated their
willingness to yield to any legal requirement, and they
would cheerfully submit to any investigation which might
be demanded. General Atchison thought that peace might
be restored and so wrote to the Governor; but immediately
Boggs ordered the Booneville guards to be mounted with
ten days' provisions and in readiness to march on his
arrival; and he also ordered General Lucas to proceed
immediately with four hundred mounted men to co-operate
with General Atchison. Similar orders were issued to
Major- Generals Lewis Bolton, John B. Clark and Thomas
B. Grant.
While this military movement was taking place the
mob continued to seize prisoners and to send threatening
messages, hoping to incite the Saints to some overt act
that the whole power of the mob and militia combined
might be brought against them to annihilate them. Sev-
eral times word was brought to the encampment of the
Saints that prisoners taken by the mob were being tor-
ts
242 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
hired. This was done in the hope to provoke a spirit
of retaliation. It seems strange that this situation could
have continued for more than a day with such a military-
force at hand. A little prompt and vigorous actio a would
have dispersed the mob and taught them to respect the
power of the law. It would not have been necessary to
shed blood, only to let constitutional majesty be asserted;
and the Saints might have remained in peace. But this
was not the purpose. The troops really had been called
out, not to protect the "Mormons," but to answer the
lying call of a justice of the peace. This mighty power
of war was brought into operation to apprehend two or
three men, charged with a petty offense, and who had not
resisted any attempt to serve legal papers upon them.
On the 20th of September General Atchison wrote to
the Governor that the insurrection was practically ended;
all the leading offenders against the law had been ar-
rested and bound over to appear at court. It is notice-
able that the people who had been the victims were the
only ones who were called offenders, the plundering rabble
going scot free. All of the troops, except two companies
of the Ray militia under command of Brigadier General
Parks, were discharged. In this same letter General
Atchison said:
They [the Mormons] appear to be acting on the
defensive, and I must further add, gave up the offenders
with a good deal of promptness. The arms and prisoners
taken by the Mormons were also given up upon demand
with seeming cheerfulness.
This candid opinion was re-enforced a few days later
by a letter from General Parks to the Governor, in which
he uses the following expressions;
Whatever may have been the disposition of the
people called ' 'Mormons' J before our arrival here, since
we have made our appearance they have shown no dispo-
sition to resist the laws, tor of hostile intentions. There
has been so much prejudice and exaggeration concerned
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 243
in this matter that 1 found things entirely different from
what I was prepared to expect. When we arrived here
we found a large body of men from the counties adjoin-
ing, armed and in the field, for the purpose, as I learned,
of assisting the people of this county against the "Mor-
mons," without being called out by the proper author-
ities.
P.S. — Since writing the above, I have received infor-
mation that if the committee do not agree, the determi-
nation of the Daviess County men is to drive the "Mor-
mons" with powder and lead.
Near the same time, General Atchison wrote to Gov-
ernor Boggs as follows :
Things are not so bad in this county [Daviess] as
represented by rumor, and, in fact, from affidavits I have
no doubt your Excellency has been deceived by the
exaggerated statements of designing or half- crazy men.
I have found there is no cause of alarm on account of the
"Mormons;" they are not to be feared; they are very
much alarmed.
About the 26th day of September, 1838, a committee
from the mob met some of the leading brethren at Adam-
ondi-Ahman and entered into an agreement whereby the
Saints were to purchase lands and possessions of all who
desired to sell; but this resulted in nothing, for the mob
had other purposes in view.
About fifteen or twenty of the Saints with Lyman
Wight were pledged to appear before the court at Galla-
tin for trial on the 29th of September.
Hundreds of men drawn into the militia service of
Generals Atchison, Doniphan, Parks, and Lucas were
in personal affiliation with the mob. When the greater
part of the forces were disbanded in Daviess County a gen-
eral movement took place toward De Witt, in Carroll
County. On their way the bandits breathed their mur-
derous intent against the Saints; and before the onslaught,
the brethren addressed a humble petition to Lilburn W.
Boggs, imploring him to send succor, but he was deaf to
244 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
the appeal. His ears were always open to the voice of
the murderer; never to that of the victim. The mob
could not ask him in vain for help; the injured Saints
supplicated again and again without a reply. With the
opening of October, the mob pressed hard upon the
Saints in De Witt, threatening death to men, captivity to
children and outrage to women.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
BOMBARDMENT OF DE WITT — APPEAL OF THE SAINTS TO
GOVERNOR BOGGS — HIS HEARTLESS REPLY — JOSEPH'S
PRESENCE ENCOURAGES THE BRETHREN — THE SAINTS
LEAVE THEIR POSSESSIONS IN DE WITT — THEY GO TO
FAR WEST — ADAM ONDI-AHMAN DEVASTATED — THE SAINTS
ORGANIZE FOR DEFENSE — JOSEPH CONTROLS A MOB WHO
DESIGN TO MURDER HIM — APOSTASY OF THOMAS B.
MARSH — DEATH OF DAVID W. PATTEN — "WHATEVER YOU
DO ELSE, OH, DO NOT DENY THE FAITH."
Greater love hath no man that this, that he lay
down his life for. his friend.
On the 5th day of October, 1838, word came to the
Prophet of the bombardment of the town of De Witt, in
Carroll County, by a mob army with muskets and artil-
lery. The ravenous wretches, many of whom had been in
the militia companies of Atchison, Doniphan and Parks,
foiled for the moment in Daviess and Caldwell Counties,
had concentrated upon the more remote and defenseless
places for the purpose of plundering the Saints and
driving them forth. As soon as Joseph heard the news
he hastened to the scene of conflict. The rage of the mob
naturally fell against him more heavily than against any-
one else; but it was his nature always to be where danger
threatened his brethren.
It was on the 2nd of October that the mob, under the
leadership of Dr. Austin, Major Ashley, a member of the
legislature, and Sashiel Woods, a Presbyterian clergy-
man, fired first upon the town of De Witt. They contin-
ued during that day and the next, when they were rein-
forced by two companies of militia under the command of
246 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Captains Bogart and Houston, who were soon followed
by Brigadier- General Parks. It is not wrong to speak of
these troops as a reinforcement of the mob. They were
nothing else. Bogart was a Methodist preacher by pro-
fession, and only led the company of militia to De Witt
for the purpose of wreaking the sectarian vengeance of a
bigot upon the Saints. Parks himself confessed that
Bogart' s men would not be controlled and were with the
mob in feeling; and this was the General's excuse for
allowing the outrages of this time to go unchecked. On
the 4th of October, after forty-eight hours of siege, the
people of the town, in command of Colonel Hinkle, re-
turned the fire. Parks made no effort to check the mob's
plan of organized murder. On the 6th he coolly wrote in
his report to Atchison, as follows:
The Mormons are at this time too strong and no
attack is expected before Wednesday or Thursday next, at
which time Dr. Austin [who with Bogart was leader of
the mob] hopes his forces will amount to five hundred
men, when he will make a second attempt on the town of
De Witt, with small arms and cannon. In this posture of
affairs lean do nothing but negotiate bettveen the parties un-
til further aid is sent me.
Evidently in this posture of affairs Parks wanted to
do nothing. The "Mormons" were too strong. He
would wait until Austin's rabble increased to five hundred,
and by that time he hoped to have more companies of
militia, which in turn would swell the ranks of the plun-
dering besiegers. Parks' conduct indicates his utter lack
of conscience; because in the same letter he says: "As
yet they, the Mormons, have acted only on the defensive
as far as I can learn."
General Lucas had been an observer of the gathering
at De Witt and had been informed that a fight had taken
place there, in which several persons were killed. Upon
this he wrote to the Governor that if his information was
true it would create excitement in the whole of Upper
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 247
Missouri, "and those base and degraded beings will be ex-
terminated from the face of the earth." He added that
it one of the citizens of Carroll should be killed, before
five days there would be raised against the "Mormons"
five thousand volunteers whom nothing but blood would
satisfy. Without attempting to suggest a remedy to
Boggs, this cruel and sanguinary Lucas significantly
informs his Excellency that his troops of the fourth
division were only dismissed subject to further order and
could be called into the field at an hour's warning. He
wanted to share in the work of extermination!
These events had happened before the Prophet
reached De Witt. It was a trying journey, in which he
had been obliged to travel by unfrequented roads aud had
put his life in constant jeopardy because mobs guarded
every ingress to the town. When Joseph entered the
place he found the brethren only a handful in compari-
son to their assailants. Their provisions were exhausted,
and there was no prospect of obtaining more. The
Prophet concluded to send a message to the Governor and
secured the services of several influential and honest
gentlemen who lived in that vicinity and who had been-
witnesses of the wanton attack upon the Saints. These*
men were bold as well as honest for they made affidavit
of the outrages which had been perpetrated within their
sight, and they accompanied the supplication for redress
to the executive office. The answer of the men who had
been chosen by the suffrages of his fellow-citizens as the
chief officer of the state, sworn to uphold its honor, pro-
tect its dignity and maintain the supremacy of its laws,
was only this:
The quarrel is between the Mormons and the mob,
and they may fight it out.
Joseph's presence was a solace and a sustaining
power to the Saints. He animated them by the courage
of his presence and taught them patience by his own tenac-
248 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
ity of endurance. He was not there as a warrior; he
did not bear arms; and yet he was a tower of strength to
his brethren.
Mobs were gathering in from Ray, Saline, Howard,
Livingston, Clinton, Clay, Platte and other parts of the
state to reinforce the besiegers. For the combined assail-
ants a man named Jackson was cnosen as the leader.
The Saints were forbidden to leave the town under pen-
alty of death. It was the purpose to starve them, since
even this large crowd of mobbers, outnumbering the
Saints ten to one, feared to risk a hand to hand contest.
Fires were set to some of the houses; the cattle were
stolen and roasted; the horses were driven off; while the
mob made merry in feasting within sight of the starving
people whom they had plundered.
Joseph directed applications for protection to the
judges of the circuit court and in other quarters but with-
out avail; for where aid was given, it consisted of men will-
ing to join and abet the mobs and to share in the spoils.
In the town, men were perishing for want of food; women
and children cried for bread. There was no hope of
-earthly succor.
In this crisis, Henry Root and David Thomas, two
men who had been the sole cause of the settlement at De
Witt, solicited the Saints to leave the place, claiming that
they had assurance from the besiegers that, in such case,
no further attack would be made and all the losses would
be paid. Yielding to a necessity the Saints agreed to this
proposition. A committee of appraisement was appointed
from men not connected with the Saints. They placed a
meagre value on the bare land, and said nothing about
the houses and other improvements which were still stand-
ing or had been destroyed by the mob, and nothing about
the stock and the vehicles which had been run off. It was,
however, an unnecessary economy of valuation ; because
the price, meagre at is was, has never been paid.
On the 11th day of October, 1838, the Prophet and
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 249
the Saints vacated De Witt and started for Caldwell with
the small remnants of their possessions which they could
gather and hope to convey. They were harassed con-
tinually on the journey by the mob which, in violation of
its pledge, fired upon the retreating people. Among the
exiles men died from fatigue and starvation — for the jour-
ney was greatly hurried because of the mobocratic threats ;
and one poor woman, who had given birth to a child on
the very eve of the banishment, died on the journey and
was buried in a grave without a coffin.
The experience at De Witt and on the journey from
that place to Far West taught the Prophet and the Saints
anew that they had no hope of protection, no hope of re-
dress, while they remained in Missouri; and no hope that
if they attempted to leave they would not be set upon and
massacred by the blood-thirsty mob. Nothing was left
them but to organize in some fashion for self defense, as
they came fleeing into Far West from all the surrounding
country, leaving their worldly all and glad to escape with
their lives.
The tiger spirit of the mob had grown upon its food.
As the brethren left De Witt, Sashiel Woods called many
of the mobocrats together and invited them to hasten into
Daviess County to continue their work there. He said
that the land sales were coming on, and that if the "Mor-
mons" could be first driven out the mob could get all the
land entitled to preemption; besides, they could get back
without pay the property already bought from them by
the Saints. It was a welcome invitation, and, taking
their artillery, this horde, with appetites whetted for their
base and cruel work, departed for Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Other mobs were raised in other parts to join in this
general movement for rapine, among the rabble being a
man named Cornelius Gilliam who called himself Dela-
ware Chief, with a party of miscreants painted to represent
Indians.
When the Prophet arrived in Far West from De Witt,
250 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
on the 12th day of October, General Doniphan informed
him that a mob of eight hundred men was marching:
against the people in Daviess County. A small party of
militia had been on the way and might have intercepted
the rabble; but Doniphan ordered them back, knowing
well that instead of hindering they would join the mob.
He said: "They are damned rotten-hearted."
Pursuant to an order made by General Doniphan a
company of militia was raised in the county of Caldwell
to act under Colonel Hinkle and to proceed to Adam-ondi-
Ahman for the protection of that place. Joseph went
with the militia to give counsel to his friends, risking his
own life again, and taking with him many who were wil-
ling to stand with him in martyrdom if need were.
At Adam-ondi-Ahman the scenes of De Witt were re-
peated. Houses were burned, cattle were run off, women
and children were driven out and exposed to a terrible
storm which prevailed on the 17th and 18th of October.
In many cases people in ill health were torn from their
beds and were rufused time to secure comfortable clothing-
in which to make their flight. Among the fugitives was
Agnes Smith, the wife of the Prophet's brother, Don Car-
los, who was absent on a mission to Tennessee. Her
house had been burned by the mob, her property seized,
and she had. fled three miles, wading Grand River and
carrying all the way two helpless babes in her arms — glad
to escape death and outrage.
Joseph's soul rose in arms at these crimes. The
sacrifice had been sufficient. Every possible appeal had
been made and denied. Henceforth the Saints must pro-
tect themselves, and God arm the right! It was this re-
solve alone which saved the remaining element of the
Church that finally escaped from Missouri. At Adam-
ondi-Ahman the mob intended to make a work of ex-
termination; but after the arrival of the troops there, prom-
ises were demanded and secured from General Parks for
the organization of a militia company to resist the attack
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 251
and quell the mob. The force was immediately raised
and placed under the command of Colonel Lyman Wight
who held a commission in the fifty-ninth regiment under
General Parks. These troops went out with a determina-
tion to drive the mob or die. They no longer fought in
the state of Missouri for their rights as American citizens;
that day had passed. They fought for life, for home, and
for that which was dearer than all, the honor and safety
of their wives and daughters who had been threatened
with ravishment.
A remembrance of the day at Gallatin, when twelve
had put one hundred and fifty to flight, suddenly came
upon the mob as they saw the advancing forces of the
Saints; and they fled. But fleeing, they resorted to strat-
agem. They removed everything of value from some of
their own old log cabins and then set fire to these struc-
tures, afterward spreading abroad through all the country
the declaration that the "Mormons" had plundered and
burned the mansions of law-abiding citizens.
An incident of this period shows the Prophet's calm-
ness and self-command in the face of danger, as well as
the influence of his presence even upon sworn enemies.
He was sitting in his father's house near the edge of
the prairie one day, writing letters, when a large party of
armed mobocrats called at the place. Lucy Smith, the
Prophet's mother, demanded their business, and they
replied that they were on the way to kill "Joseph, the
Mormon Prophet." His mother remonstrated with them;
and Joseph, having finished his writing and hearing the
threats against himself, walked to the door and stood be-
fore them with folded arms, bared head and such a look
of majesty in his eyes that they quailed before him.
Though they were unacquainted with his identity, they
knew they were in the presence of greatness; and when
his mother introduced him as the man they sought, they
started as if they had seen a spectre.
The Prophet invited the leaders into the house, and
252 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
without alluding to their purpose of murder, he talked to
them earnestly with regard to the persecutions against the
Saints. When he concluded, so deeply had they been im-
pressed, that they insisted upon giving him an escort to
protect him to his home.
As they departed, one of the mob leaders said to an-
other:
Didn't you feel stange when Smith took you by the
hand?
And his companion replied:
I could not move. I would not harm a hair of that
man's head for the whole world.
It was always so when men would listen to Joseph
long enough to let the Spirit which animated him assert
itself to their reason.
The extent of the unhallowed league against the
Saints is shown by the fact that not even the United
States mails were safe during this period, for every post
was plundered and all letters addressed to the Prophet
were opened.
Unable to bear the pressure and to face the terrors
of the time, Thomas B. Marsh had apostatized and had
joined with McLellin and other evil men to act the part
of Judas against the Prophet. The faith of others also
failed, and, thinking by apostasy to save themselves from
the destruction which seemed impending, they came out
against Joseph and the Church and went over to their
enemies.
On the 24th of October, eight armed mobbers plun-
dered a house some little distance from Far West and
took three of the brethren prisoners, namely, Nathan
Pinkham, William Seely and Addison Green. With much
exultation, these brigands declared their intention to
murder their prisoners that night. Learning of this awful
boast, the judge of the county instructed Colonel Hinkle
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 253
to send out a company to rescue the men and disperse
their captors. Seventy-five of the militia, under com-
mand of David W. Patten, were directed by Hinkle to
fulfil this order. In departing, Captain Patten announced
his hope to rescue his unoffending brethren without shed-
ding any blood and to bring them back to Far West. Fifty
men of this company marched to the ford on Crooked
River, where they came upon an ambuscade of the mob,
who fired upon them, mortally wounding a young man
named O'Banion. Captain Patten ordered a charge upon
the enemy, at the same time shouting the watchword ,
"Our God and liberty!" The concealed mobocrats fired
as the company rushed down upon them. A musket
ball pierced the bowels of David W. Patten, fatally
wounding him. At the same fire a shower of bullets
struck Gideon Carter, who fell to the ground to die after
a few moments of agony. So defaced was Carter by his
many wounds, that later, when his brethren were gather-
ing up their dead and wounded, they failed to recognize
his body. Several others among the brethren were
wounded. The others, even after the fall of their leader,
dashed on in pursuit and put the mob to flight. The pris-
oners were rescued, but one of them was shot by the
mob during the engagement. From them it was learned
that Bogart had commanded the marauders and that his
forces had been greater than those of the attacking party.
When the affray was over, David W. Patten — still
alive, but gasping in mortal extremity — was lifted up by
his brethren, and they carried him tenderly to his home.
A courier brought the news to Far West, and Joseph
and Hyrum went out to meet the sorrowful cavalcade.
Several were with Apostle Patten when he died that night,
in the triumph of the faith. He had fulfilled his coven-
ant to yield life rather than to yield the right. As he
was departing, he spoke with holy exultation of the eter-
nity opening to his view, and with sorrow oi those trait-
orous Apostles and Elders who had forsaken the Saints
254 JOSEPH THE PROPHET
to save their own lives and property. One of his last ex-
pressions to his wife was :
Whatever you do else, oh, do not deny the faith.
Thus perished the first apostolic martyr to the cause
of Christ in this dispensation. How much better his fate
than that of the Judases who helped to bring him to his
death!
At the funeral, Joseph stood in the presence of the
assemblage, and pointing at the noble form marred by the
assassin's bullet, testified:
There lies a man who has fulfilled his word : he has
laid down his life for his friends.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
BOGGS ISSUES AN ORDER OF EXTERMINATION — GENERAL ATCH-
ISON'S THREAT AGAINST THE TYRANT — AVARD ORGANIZES
THE DANITES — THE HAUN'S MILL MASSACRE — FAR WEST
BESIEGED — THREE NOBLE ONES REFUSE TO DESERT THEIR
FRIENDS — COLONEL HINKLE'S BASE TREACHERY — ' 'THESE
ARE THE PRISONERS I AGREED TO DELIVER UP" — A COURT
MARTIAL SENTENCES JOSEPH AND HIS COMPANIONS TO
DEATH — GENERAL DONIPHAN'S NOBLE ACTION — DEMONIAC
DEEDS ENACTED IN FAR WEST.
On the day of the martyr Patten's funeral at Far West,
Lilburn W. Boggs issued to General John B. Clark an or-
der of extermination agains the Saints. His words were:
The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must
be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary for
the public good. Their outrages are beyond all descrip-
tion.
The excuse of this tyrant was the encounter between
the militia, sent out by Colonel Hinkle under judicial en-
dorsement, and Bogart's mobbers. How quickly Boggs
could respond when any of his assassins were checked in
their career of massacre and plunder! Before making
his order of extermination he had already directed two
thousand troops to be raised; and in his edict of death,
entrusted to General Clark, he authorized any desired
increase of forces. He also directed Major- General Wal-
lock and General Doniphan, with one thousand men, to
intercept the retreat of the Saint-, should they attempt
one, by this act proving that the Saints were not to be per-
mitted to leave the state, and that his order of extermina-
tion was intended to be construed absolutely and without
256 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
alternative. He had taken the command from General
Atchison and given it to General Clark because the latter
was more suitable to his purpose, since he feared that
Atchison might have some qualms of conscience. In-
censed at this official slight, at a later time, General
Atchison declared in a public speech:
If the governor does not restore my commission to
me, I will kill him, so help me God.
To make some show of palliation for this unparalleled
act of atrocity, Boggs published the most infamous lies
concerning the doings and intentions of the ' 'Mormons, "
making it appear that they, a little handful of poverty-
stricken exiles, were about to flood the state with a ruin-
ous war. His stories were full of tragedy and bombast.
They would have been too ridiculous to be believed for an
instant, but that the infuriate element for whose incite-
ment they were addressed were eager as he to plunge the
knife into the heart of innocence.
All the vile characters in that section of the country
soon flocked to the mob- organizations. The most diabol-
ical combinations were formed: one of the worst being
under the direction of Dr. Sampson Avard, one of the
apostate spirits, who formed a band which he called Dan-
ites, to aid him in purposes of plunder and murder, which
he intended to attribute to the Church, and thus furnish
an excuse for the attacks upon his former brethren. But
his plot was discovered by the Prophet, and Avard was
publicly excommunicated, so that the world might know
that the Church had no part in this infamy. His plan
was, by this prompt action, defeated almost before it had
birth.
By the 26th of October twenty-five hundred of the
mob militia had congregated at Richmond, and from
there they took up their march for Far West, robbing,
plundering, shooting, and threatening ravishment by the
way. It was such rare sport, this outrage of the inno-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. *2o i
cents, that it drew an overwhelming force to execu'e the
ghastly order of Boggs, the executioner at wholesale.
The executive decree of massacre fell like music upon
the ears of the wicked mob. On Tuesday, the 30th of
October, 1838, a party of two hundred and forty of them
fell upon a few families of Saints at Haun's Mill on Shoal
Creek, and butchered them. The awful particulars of
that deed must be left, with many others of like character,
for another publication now in course of preparation, since
the scope of this volume will not permit of more than a
general view of events, however important, in which the
Prophet had no personal part. But one or two circum-
stances of that atrocious deed can be detailed to show the
unquenchable thirst for blood of Boggs' emissaries.
Among the Saints at Haun's Mill was one old man named
McBride, who had fought for independence under General
Washington. This veteran patriot the mob seized and shot
with his own gun, then they slashed him to pieces with a
corn cutter. Stalwart Missourians slew and mutilated
little children, and afterwards boasted of their deeds.
They even robbed the dead.
On the 30th day of October the mob- army belea-
guered Far West. Their ranks were constantly augment-
ed, and during the ensuing week six thousand demoniac
men had taken part against that city.
On the first day of the siege a messenger was sent
into the town to demand three persons to whom amnesty
was to be accorded, as the mob declared their intention
to massacre all the rest of the people and lay Far West
in ashes. Adam Lightner, John Cleminson and wife were
these three persons. When the messengers offered them
the chance of life they responded: "If the people must
be destroyed, we will die with them."
Elder Charles C. Rich was sent out, bearing a flag of
truce, to hold a conference with General Doniphan and
others; but when he approached the camp of the be-
258 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
siegers, Bogart, the Methodist preacher, fired upon him.
The defenders of the city threw up a temporary forti-
fication of wagons and timber on the south, for they were
in hourly expectation of the attack.
About eight o'clock on the morning of Wednesday,
the 31st day of October, a white flag approached the city
from the camp of the mobbers.
Colonel George M. Hinkle went out to meet it and ac-
companied it back to the camp. What he did there ought
to have made even a Judas blush. He returned at even-
ing and said to Joseph that hope had arisen for the settle-
ment of the difficulties, and that the presence of the
Prophet and -some of his leading* friends was desired by
the officers of the militia. Hinkle pledged his own honor
and that of the besieging generals that no harm was in-
tended or would be permitted against the brethren.
Always ready to meet personal danger in a just cause,
the Prophet complied, and was joined by the men whom
Hinkle designated: Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Ly-
man Wight and George W. Robinson. Led by Colonel
Hinkle they proceeded toward the camp and were met by
General Lucas with one piece of artillery and the whole
army at his heels. At this moment Hinkle earned his
thirty pieces of silver, for he said:
These are the prisoners I agreed to deliver up.
Lucas brandished 'his sword and ordered his men to
surround the Prophet and his companions. A fierce and
exultant yell burst from the throats of the mob, and hor-
rid blasphemies poured from them in torrents. They
would not wait for an order to butcher before assailing the
Prophet, so eager were they to 'take his life; and several
of them snapped their guns at him, but he was spared.
Arrived at the camp, the prisoners were placed in charge
of a strong guard of obscene and blasphemous wretches,
who hour after hour profaned the name of God, mocked
at Jesus Christ and boasted of having defiled virgins and
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 259
■wives by force. They demanded a miracle from Joseph,
saying:
There is one of your brethren here in camp whom we
took prisoner yesterday in his own house, and knocked
his brains out with his own rifle, which we found hang-
ing over his own mantel; he lies speechless and dying;
speak the word and heal him, and then we will all believe.
Among the people who came to gloat over them was
William E. McLellin, the apostate. He taunted them
with their impending fate, declaring that [there was no
hope for them.
When the news reached Far West the people were
appalled. They had feared for Joseph and his brethren,
because they knew that to go ont was to enter the lair of
a monster ; and now they felt that their worst fears were
confirmed.
That night the Prophet and his friends lay upon the
wet grouud, chilled by the rains of dawning November
and subject to the most cruel and exasperating insults.
The next morning Hyrum Smith and Amasa M. Lyman
were dragged from their families in Far West and brought
as prisoners into the camp.
On the evening of November 1st, 183 : , Lucas con-
vened a court martial, over which he presided. It was
-composed of seventeen preachers and some of the princi-
pal officers of the mob army. Its purpose was to put the
Prophet and his friends on trial for their lives, but not one
of them was permitted to be present during any part of
its deliberations. A few moments were sufficient for the
promulgation of its edict, since no testimony was to be
heard and no pleas admitted. The sentence was that
Joseph and his companions should be shot at eight o'clock
the next morning, November 2nd, 1838, on the public
square at Far West in the presence of their helpless wives
and little children.
When the sentence was passed, General Doniphan said:
260 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET.
I wash my hands of this thing; it is murder!
Then he ordered his brigade of troops off the ground,
or he would not permit them to take part in the assassi-
nation. General Graham also resisted the sentence with
honor and manliness.
After the adjournment of the court martial the
Prophet demanded from General Wilson the reason why
he should be shot, since he had always been a supporter
of the constitution and the government of his country.
Wilson's answer was:
I know it, and that is the reason why I want to kill
you.
It was an absurdity to try by court martial, even if
that body had been a legal and just tribunal, a man who
had not borne arms nor engaged in warfare nor committed
any overt act. Joseph was a licensed minister of the gos-
pel, not a soldier. He belonged to the class recognized
always and everywhere as non-combatant. Probably this
was the reason why Lucas had seventeen preachers as
members of the court, to give the proceedings an ecclesi-
astical air.
On this same day, November 1st, 1838, Lucas re-
quired the Caldwell militia to give up their arms. They
only numbered five hundred men, all told; while the mob
army numbered thousands. Bat the diabolical purpose
which they had in view made it desirable to the attacking
horde that no one in the city should have any power of
resistance remaining. Lucas gave color to his demand by
the fact that Hinkle, the betrayer, who had commanded
the forces in Far West , had made a treaty by which the
disarmament of the Caldwell militia was conceded.
The brethren were all marched out of the town and
their weapons taken from them. Then gangs of miscre-
ants were turned loose in Far West to work their will. They
rushed through the streets like wolves, tearing and devour-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. b 261
ing whatever came in their way. Such deeds were done
that day as would make a savage hang his head in
shame. Property was seized and carried away without
a pretext; houses were fired; the sick and the infantile
were insulted and abused; the men were secured as pris-
oners; and women were outraged in sight of their help-
less husbands and fathers.
The Prophet's house was singled out for a special at-
tack; his family was driven out and all his property seized
or destroyed.
The brethren who possessed real estate were brought
before Lucas, and at the point of the bayonet, were
compelled to sign deeds of trust of all their possessions to
pay the expenses of the mob.
A more appalling instance of cruelty h' story does
not record. An innocent people are ordered exterminated.
But before proceeding to the final act of massacre the im-
molators demand their pay in advance from the victims.
It was an awful night at Far West; but more awful
it was feared the morrow would be, for the sentence of
death pronounced upon the Prophet and his fellow- cap-
tives was promised to be executed at eight o'clock the next
CHAPTER XL.
THE PROPHET'S LIFE SAVED BY THE VANITY OF LUCAS
FAREWELL OF THE PRISONERS TO THEIR FAMILIES — ON
TOWARD INDEPENDENCE— CONTINUED RAVAGES AT FAR
WEST — GENERAL CLARK* S INHUMAN ADDRESS — THE MOVE-
MENT AGAINST ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN.
On the morning of Friday, November 2nd, 1838, in pur-
suance of the sentence of the secret tribunal of preach-
ers and mobocrats — misnamed a court martial — the
Prophet and his fellow-prisoners were marched into the
public square at Far West. But the brutal murder
which had been decreed, did not take place. The fail-
ure of Lucas to enforce that part of the sentence was
due in part to the manly rebellion of Generals Doniphan
and Graham, and in part to his own wish to drag the
Prophet and his brethren through the country and ex-
hibit them as his captives. General Clark was expected
immediately at Far West. He wanted the prisoners de-
livered to him; and jealousy worked in the mind of Lucas.
It was esteemed a high honor to hold Joseph Smith in
captivity; and Lucas was determined not to share this
glorious trophy of war with another. What the tears of
women and children, the innocence of men, and a sense
of justice could not accomplish in this bad man's mind,
was easily achieved by the base motives of envy and
vanity. He wanted to be recognized as a victorious gen-
eral, aud the presence of the captives would add to the
pageantry of his march. If greater notoriety could have
been achieved or greater admiration for his prowess
secured by the murder of these men at Far West, he would
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 2t)3
not have stayed his hand. It was an opportunity of a life-
time for a militia leader to cover himself with the dis-
honors of war. Less than a quarter of a century from
that time, the state of Missouri and all its citizens had
ample occasion to deal with real enemies and to view in
every city and village, and every field and every forest r
and in every home the misery of fratricidal strife. Men
who had thirsted for blood were given more than a glut o£
it, for hundreds of them weltered in their own gore.
Lucas prepared to continue his triumphal march,,
intending to take the brethren to Jackson County and
expose them as captives at Independence. Before they
left they begged to be permitted to bid their families fare-
well. This boon, so estimable to them and so trifling to
the mob, was ostensibly granted, but under conditions
which showed an inhuman desire to torture. Every pris-
oner was permitted, under a strong guard, to seek out
his beloved ones, but was forbidden to speak to them. He
might gaze on them with tearful eyes and wave them
farewell, a long farewell — forever, if he would; but no
word from his lips might fall as balm upon their bruised
spirits.
Hyrum, the Prophet's beloved brother, who was
never very far away from Joseph, was one of the cap-
tives. Hyrum' s young wife, Mary — for he was again a
husband — was prostrated with suffering. When he was
dragged before her by his armed captors he would have
solaced her agony with a few words of comfort and cheer.
He wanted to bid her look 'up and trust in Gnd; but the
mob soldiers threatened to kill him at her feet if he
breathed a syllable, and to spare her tortured soul this
awful pang he held his peace. Mary saw her husband
carried from her, perhaps to death; she gathered the
motherless little children of Jerusha about her and sought
to comfort them. She did not see her noble husband
again until after she had passed through the trial and
pain of maternity; for her son, Joseph Fielding Smith,
264 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
was born eleven days after, and while his father was still
a captive in the hands of the mob.
To moan and weep over the captive Prophet came
his wife and babes, and his aged father and mother. He
had begged to have a moment in which to comfort his
wife, for she was utterly overpowered with fear for his
life. He wanted to reassure her that the sentence of
death was not to be executed that morning and to prom-
ise her that they should meet again in this life. But the
mob guards with their swords rudely thrust his wife and
little ones away from Joseph's side, and threatened to
kill him if he should speak.
Joseph gazed upon the overwhelming scene at Far
West as he was being marched forth a captive. He com-
mended the city and its people to the care of that God
whose kindness had always followed them into the dark
valley of tribulation, and who alone could protect them
from death and defilement.
That night the Prophet with Hyrum Smith, Sidney
Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Wight, Amasa M.
Lyman and George W. Robinson, were started for Inde-
pendence. Under a strong guard, commanded by Gen-
erals Lucas and Wilson, they camped at night on Crooked
River.
A vision of hope and security came to Joseph that
night, and when he arose in the morning he spoke to his
brethren in a low and cheerful tone, saying:
Be of good cheer, my brethren, the word" of the
Lord came to me last night that our lives should be given
us, and that whatever else we might suffer during this
captivity, not one of us should die.
An express from General Clark demanding the
august prisoners reached Lucas at this point. This com-
manding general had so far achieved little, the triumphs of
the cruel contest being with his subordinates. He was
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 265
therefore determined that the prisoners should be dragged
at his chariot wheels and that their slaughter should be
under Ms personal direction, to show Boggs and the pop-
ulace that he was worthy of the truculent enterprise en-
trusted to him. But Lucas was no less determined that,
having won the victory, he himself should enjoy the spoils
and the plaudits; and with all possible speed he hastened
forward with the captives.
Leaving the Prophet and his companions advancing
toward their unknown fate, we must return with their
anxious thoughts to the proceedings at Far West; as
General Clark was marching upon that place, and the
prisoners feared for their unprotected families.
Lucas had sent several companies of the mob militia
including Neal Gilliam's band of painted wretches under
General Parks to Adam-ondi-Ahman with instructions to
disarm the militia at that place and to take prisoners. By
his orders also a large body of troops had been left to
guard some eighty brethren held captive at Far West.
General Clark did not arrive at the beleaguered city
until the 4th of November, 1838; but on that day he
came at the head of two thousand troops. In the inter-
val of two days the people in the town had been subjected
to every possible indignity. Apostates prowled through
the streets pointing out to the mob all the men of influ-
ence or station in the Church, and aiding to put them in
irons. At first it had been ordered that all who were not
held as prisoners should flee the city on the instant. But
finally the mob concluded to keep the people within the
town until General Clark's anival.
It was a joy to the sectarian ministers of: the neigh-
borhood to see this work of ruin; and many of them
visited Far West to exult over the prisoners and their
suffering families.
Many privations and tortures were endured. The
captives were kept without food until they were on the
verge of starvation. The mob continued their work of
266 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
ruin, hunting' and shooting human beings like wild beasts;
and ravishing and murdering women.
Upon Clark's arrival at Far West he selected fifty-six
of the leading men and held them under a strong guard
for trial, for what offense neither he nor they could tell.
He also sent a messenger to the commander of the troops
advancing to assault Adam-ondi-Ahman, requiring him
to take all of the "Mormons" prisoners and to secure all
their property to pay the damages of other citizens.
On the 6th day of November, 1838, Clark assembled
the people and delivered an address to them as follows:
Gentlemen :
You whose names are not attached to this list of
names will now have the privilege of going to your fields
and of providing corn, wood, etc., for your families.
Those who are now taken will go from this to prison, be
tried and receive the due demerit of their crimes; but
you (except such as charges may hereafter be preferred
against) , are at liberty, as soon as the troops are removed
that now guard the place, which I shall cause to be done
immediately.
It now devolves upon you to fulfill, a treaty that
you have entered into, the leading items of which I shall
now lay before you. The first requires that your leading men
be given up to be tried according to law; this you already
have complied with. The second is, that you deliver up
your arms; this has been attended to. The third stipula-
tion is that you sign over your properties to defray the
expenses of the war. This you have also done. Another
article yet remains for you to comply with — and that is,
that you leave the state forthwith. And whatever may be
your feelings concerning this, or whatever your inno-
cence, it is nothing to me. General Lucas (whose
military rank is equal with mine), has made this treaty
with you, I approve of it. I should have done the same
had I been here. I am therefore determined to see it
executed.
The character of this state has suffered almost
beyond redemption , from the character, conduct and influ-
ence that you have exerted; and we deem it an act of
justice to restore her character to its former standing
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 1267
among the states by every proper means. The orders of
the Governor to me were, that you should he exterminated,
and not allowed to remain in the state. And had not your
leaders been given up, and the terms of the treaty complied
with, before this time you and your families ivotdd have
been destroyed and your houses in ashes.
There is a discretionary power vested in my hands,
which, considering your circumstances, I shall exercise
for a season. You are indebted to me for this clemency.
I do not say that you shall go now, but you must not
think of staying here another season or of putting in crops;
for the moment you do this the citizens will be upon you ;
and if I am called here again in case of a non-compliance
of a treaty made, do not think that I shall do as if I have
done now. You need not expect any mercy, but extermina-
tion, for I am determined the Governor's order shall be ex-
ecuted.
As, for your leaders, do not think, do not imagine for a
moment, do not let it enter into your minds, that they will
be delivered and restored to you again, for their fate is fixed,
their die is cast, their doom is sealed.
I am sorry, gentlemen, to see so many apparently in-
telligent men found in the situation that you are; and oh!
if I could invoke that Great Spirit, THE UNKNOWN
GOD to rest upon and deliver you from that awful chain
of superstition, and liberate you from those fetters of fa-
naticism with which you are bound — that you no longer do
homage to a man.
I would advise you to scatter abroad, and never again
organize yourselves with Bishops, Presidents, etc., lest
you excite the jealousies of the people and subject your-
selves to the same calamities that have now come upon
you. You have always been the aggressors — you have
brought upon yourselves these difficulties, by being dis-
affected, and not being subject to rule. And my advice
is, that you become as other citizens, lest by a recurrence
of these events you bring upon yourselves irretrievable
ruin.
The prisoners whom he had taken were sent by him
to Richmond, in Ray County, for trial.
About this same time Boggs wrote a letter requiring
Clark to finish the awful work which had been begun. He
'268 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
directed a movement agaiust the Saints at Adam-ondi-
Ahman and said:
My instructions to you are to settle this whole matter
■completely, if possible, before you disband your forces. •
To fulfill this edict, Clark ordered General Wilson
with his brigade to Adam-ondi-Ahman, although there
were enough mob troops already there to furnish a special
guard and a special executioner for every man, woman
and child in the place. On the 8th of November a cordon
was drawn about Adam-ondi-Ahman. A court of inquiry
was instituted with the notorious Adam Black on the
bench, and with a man from General Clark's army as
prosecuting attorney. Not a thing could be proved against
any of the brethren, except that they had been long-suf-
fering victims of senseless hate, and they were acquitted;
but not until a military order was prepared requiring
them, one and all to vacate the place in ten days and to
be outside of the state as early as the next spring or to be
exterminated.
V
CHAPTER XLI.
joseph preaches ix jackson and fulfills his own proph-
ecy — favor in the eyes of their captors— drunk-
en guards— in richmond jail — majesty in chains —
clark's dilemma — the mock trial — treason to be-
lieve THE BIBLE— -rCLOSE OF THE YEAR 1838.
Early in the year 1838, while it was more than his life
was worth for any Saint to penetrate Jackson County, the
Prophet made a public prophecy that some one of the El-
ders would preach a sermon there before the close of the
ensuing December.
Lucas crossed the ferry of the Missouri River from
Clay into Jackson County with his prisoners on the night
of Saturday, the 3rd of November, 1838. His march had
been made with great expedition, because he feared to be
overtaken by a further demand from his superior officer
for the captives.
The next morning was the Sabbath; and the people
along the road came out in their best attire to view the
"Mormon" Prophet, for the news had preceded his ad-
vent, and the whole country was aroused. While they
were yet in camp on that morning a number of ladies and
gentlemen visited them ; and one woman inquired of the
guards, "Which of the captives is the Lord worshiped
by the Mormons?"
The mobocrat pointed to Joseph with a significant
smile and said, "That is he." After gazing upon the
Prophet for a moment the lady candidly asked whether he
professed to be .the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Joseph
answered :
270 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET.
I am only a man, a humble minister of salvation sent
by the Redeemer to preach His gospel.
Astounded at this reply, so different from what she
had been led to expect, the lady pressed question after
question upon the Prophet. Ashe responded many listen-
ers gathered around, including a company of the wonder-
ing soldiers: and there on that Sabbath -morning, with
hundreds of spectators and his captors for a congregation,
the Prophet preached as impressive a discourse as ever
before in his life. He set forth the doctrines of faith in
Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism for the remission of
sin, with a promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost — as re-
corded in the Acts of the Apostles. And by this sermon
was his own prophecy fulfilled.
His listeners were filled with strange emotions, this
man spoke as no other had ever talked in their hearing.
The woman who had first asked to see the Prophet was
wrought upon by a spirit of conviction. When Joseph
finished his remarks, she arose and praised God in solemn
tones, and she went away praying that the Lord would pro-
tect and deliver His servants.
At ten o'clock of that Sunday morning, the entire
brigade having crossed the river, the march was resumed.
As they passed along the road hundreds of people flocked
to see them, and General Wilson often halted the caval-
cade to introduce his prisoners to the populace, pointing
out each one of the captives by name. A few hours later
the prisoners entered Independence surrounded by the ex-
ultant troops, who blew every instant triumphant blasts
upon their bugles to arouse the inhabitants into a frenzy
of joy. Rain was falling in torrents, but it could not ex-
tinguish the blazing hate and exultation of the mob as they
paraded the Prophet through the streets of the city whence
his brethren had been once driven from homes and grow-
ing wealth.
But soon after their arrival a reaction of feeling set
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 271
in, and the prisoners began to be treated with some show
of compassion. It is true they were badly lodged, closely
guaided and exhibited every day as a victorious Roman
general might have exhibited his captive kings; but they
were fed, partly shielded from the severity of the season
and were permitted to plead their cause and proclaim their
belief to any interested listener.
The effect of their situation and their teachings was
most amazing. Here in this region where they had once
met cruelty in its direst shape and whither they had been
brought in hourly peril of their lives, they awakened feel-
ings of pity, respect and personal regard.
They were permitted occasionally to walk out in
charge of a guard: and then they visited the spot dedicated
for a temple, which had been denuded of its noble for-
ests and now lay desolate, and also the place where had
once stood the dwellings of the Saints, but not a vestige
of these habitations remained, for they had been consum-
ed by fire or carried away by plunderers.
After four days' imprisonment at Independence, and
after repeated demands from Clark for their persons, it
was decided to send them to Richmond, Ray County; but
the officers, now become somewhat friendly, could not give
them any light concerning the charges to be made against
them. It was agreed that they were not to be tried by
-civil process, because none had been served upon them;
it was also agreed that they could not be tried by court
martial since they were civilians — amenable to civil law;
martial law had not been declared, and they had not com-
mitted any military offense.
It was extremely difficult to secure guards to accom-
pany the brethren to Richmond. None would volunteer,
and when drafted from the ranks they refused to obey
orders. The soldiers, impressed by the personality of the
captives, and wrought upon by the spirit of mercy, wish-
ed the brethren to go at liberty. Hundreds of the men
who had fought against them with bitterness now enter-
2/U JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
tained for them the kindest feelings; and, besides, both
officers and troops disliked to see General Clark secure
the triumph so ardently desired by him. The view enter-
tained by Lucas was shared by his officers and men and
was stated to the brethren by General Wilson in the fol-
lowing words:
It was repeatedly insinuated by the other officers
and troops, that we should hang you prisoners on the first
tree we came to on the way to Independence. But I'll be
damned if anybody shall hurt yon. We just intend to
exhibit you in Independence, let the people look at you,
and see what a damned set of fine fellows you are. And
more particularly to keep you from thatG — d damned old
bigot of a General Clark and his troops, from down coun-
try, who are so stuffed with lies and prejudice that they
would shoot you down in a moment.
Finally, three men consented to escort the prisoners
to Richmond, and on the morning of Thursday, the 8th
day of November, 1838, they started on their journey.
What a reflection it is upon the doings of that time that
the officers in charge of these captives should entrust
seven of them to three guards! Joseph and his brethren
had been designated and treated as the most desperate
men in the state of Missouri. The mob proved their own
assertion to be false when they arranged the journey to
Richmond. That afternoon, between Independence and
Roy's Ferry, the three guards became drunk. As Joseph
and his brethren had no physical restraint upon them, they
could easily have killed their guard and escaped; but
instead of doing this, they merely secured the arms and
the horses, that the intoxicated soldiers might not injure
themselves or their prisoners and that the steeds might not
stray away.
After crossing the Missouri they were met by Colonel
Sterling Price with a guard of seventy-four mnn, by
whom they were conducted to Richmond and thrown into
a vacant house closelv watched. A few hours after their
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. L'/O
arrival General Clark visited them. When they demanded
the reason why they had thus been carried from their
homes, and demanded a statement of the charge made
against them, the great General Clark, called an eminent
lawyer, answered that he could not then determine what
particular offense could be alleged against them, but
would think the matter over. Immediately after he had
withdrawn, Colonel Price came in with ten armed men
and some chains and padlocks. The guards were ordered
to stand with muskets ready to fire. Then the windows
were nailed down, and a man named John Fulkerson,
chained the seven brethren together and fastened the
manacles with padlocks.
General Clark spent many hours' trying to find some
definite charge against the prisoners and trying to find
some authority to arraign them- before a court martial.
The result of his researches is shown in a letter addressed
to the Governor at that time, in which he says:
I have detained General White and his field officers
here a day or two, for the purpose of holding a court
martial, if necessary. I this day made out charges
against the prisoners, and called on Judge King to try
them as a committing court; and I am now busily
engaged in procuring witnesses and submitting facts.
There being no civil officers ia Caldwell, I have to use the
military to get witnesses from there, which I do without
reserve. The most of the prisoners here, I consider
guilty of treason; and I believe will be convicted; and
the only difficulty in law is, can they be tried in any
county but Caldwell? If not, they cannot be there
indicted until a change of population. In the event the
latter view is taken by the civil courts, I suggest the
propriety of trying Joseph Smith and those leadfers taken
by General Lucas for mutiny. This I am in favor of
only as a dernier resort. I would have taken this course
with Smith at any rate; but it being doubtful whether a
court martial has jurisdiction or not in the present case-
that is, whether these people are to be treated as in time
of war, and the mutineers as having mutinied in time of
20
274 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
war — and I would here ask you to forward to me the
Attorney-General's opinion on this point. It will not do
to allow these leaders to return to their treasonable work
a^ain on account of their not being indicted in Caldwell.
They have committed treason, murder, arson, burglary,
robbery, larceny and perjury.
A more helpless state of mind than that of General
Clark can scarcely be imagined. The document which has
been quoted and which he closes with charges against the
brethren of nearly all the offenses under the law — and
yet does not know how to substantiate or legally punish
a single one of them — proves that he was in a desperate
state of mind.
He was determined that they should die and made
his preparations for the commission of the murder before
he had even decided what charge to bring against the
prisoners. While this' matter was pending, Brother Jed-
ediah Grant, then a young man, put up at the same tavern
with the General at Richmond. He saw Clark select the
men to shoot Joseph and his fellow prisoners, and he
heard the day of the execution fixed as Monday, Novem-
ber 12th, 1838. He saw the men who were selected load
their rifles with two bullets each, and after this was done
he heard General Clark say to them :
Gentlemen, you shall have the honor of shooting the
Mormon leaders next Monday morning at eight o' } clock.
Colonel Price, who had immediate charge of the pris-
oners, permitted all manner of abuse to be heaped upon
them. They were kept chained together like wild beasts;
left to lie upon thb bare floor without any covering. When
they might have forgotten their sufferings of body and
mind in slumber, the inhuman guards kept them awake
by yelling ribald songs and jests and by shrieks of
laughter. Parley P. Pratt, who was one of the prisoners
confined with Joseph, writes of one of these painful nights
as follows:
JOSEPH THE PK0PHET. 2 / O
In one of those tedious nights we had lain as if in
sleep, till the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears
and hearts had been pained, while we had listened for
hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful
blasphemies and filty language of our guards, Colonel
Price at their head, as they recounted to each other their
deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had
committed among the Mormons while at Far Wert and
vicinity. They even boasted of defiling by force wives,
daughters and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out
the brains of men, women and children.
I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked,
horrified, and so filled with the spirit of indignant justice,
that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet
and rebuking the guards, but I had said nothing to Joseph
or anyone else, although I lay next to him, and knew he
was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet and spoke
in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as
near as I can recollect, the following words:
"Silence ! Ye fiends of the infernal pit! In the name
of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still.
I will not live another minute and hear such language.
Cease such talk, or you or I die this instant! "
He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible maj-
esty. Chained, and without a weapon, calm, unruffled,
and dignified as an angel, he looked down upon his quail-
ing guards, whose knees smote together, and who,
shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged
his pardon, and remained quiet until an exchange of
guards.
I have seen ministers of justice, clothed in ministerial
robes, and criminals arraigned before them, while life
was suspended upon a breath in the courts of England; I
have witnessed a congress in solemn session to give laws
to nations; I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal
courts, of thrones and crowns; and of emperors assembled
to decide the fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty
have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in
a dungeon, in an obscure village of Missouri.
More than fifty of the brethren from Far West were
also held in captivity at Richmond; failing to find author-
it} 7 or excuse for trying any of these men by court martial,
276 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Clark informed them that the whole party would be
turned over to the civil authorities. A court was convened
with Austin A. King presiding, and Thomas C. Burch
the state's attorney, for the prosecution. The first act of
this strange tribunal was to send out a body of mob-
ocratic soldiers, armed with guns instead of civil process,
to bring in witnesses, who, when they arrived, were sworn
at the point of the bayonet. Nearly forty persons gave
evidence for the prosecution. Though they all swore in
a general way monstrous crimes against the accused, not
one definite charge was maintained. When the defense
were asked for their witnesses they named as many as
fifty, any of whom could have disproved the accusations.
Captain Bogart, the Methodist preacher, was sent out
with a company of soldiers to procure these witnesses,
and when he brought them in under arrest, they were
thrust into jail and kept there until after the trial, with-
out being accorded an opportunity to testify or to see the
defendants.
One day, while the trial was proceeding, a man named
Allen, who knew something of the facts and was there as
an interested spectator, was called by the defense and
sworn. As his testimony was favorable to the Prophet
and the other prisoners, the mob set upon him in open
court and tried to murder him. When he left the building
he was pursued by mobocrats with loaded guns. Observ-
ing the outrages inflicted upon people who wanted to tell
the truth, the Prophet and his brethren ceased to demand
witnesses, preferring themselves to suffer than to involve
other people in the toils of mobocratic hate.
The mock investigation continued from day to day
until Saturday, November 24th, 1838, when all of the
brethren were discharged except Joseph Smith, Hyrum
Smith, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, Alexander
McRae, Sidney Eigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Morris Phelps,
human Gibbs, Darwin Chase, and Norman Shearer, who
were held for murder and treason.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 277
The judge was a Methodist, and he had been particu-
larly anxious to know whether the defendants believed in
the prophecy of Daniel, that:
In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven
set up a kingdom, which shall break in pieces all other
kingdoms, and stand forever.
And,
The kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom, un-
der the whole heaven, shall be given to the Saints of the
Most High.
When it appeared clear that the prisoners believed in
the Bible and in this particular part of it, their treason
was established. The judge so decided in express terms
and he then committed them; and as General Doniphan,
who was present, remarked:
If a cohort of angels were to come down and declare
the innocence of the prisoners it would be all the same;
for King has determined from the beginning to throw
them into prison.
King and Burch, the judge and prosecuting attorney,
had sat in Lucas's secret tribunal in Far "West which had
sentenced the brethren to be shot; and they were anxious
to take this new opportunity to wreak their vengeance.
In open court the judge stated that there was no law to
protect ' 'Mormons" in the state of Missouri, and he was
bound to aid the Governor's edict of extermination.
The prisoners had been kept in chains during the ex-
amination; and in chains they stood to hear the judgment
of the court. It was that Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith,
Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, Caleb Baldwin, and
Sidney Eigdon be imprisoned in the jail of Clay County
until delivered therefrom by due course of law. The others
who were held were retained in Richmond jail.
. Thus was the charge of treason maintained in that
day; and upon the same grounds it has been repeated
278 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
against the Saints down to the present time, for they still
continue to believe that the Bible is the word of God.
Joseph and his companions were carried to Liberty,
Clay County, in irons. As they entered the town consid-
erable excitement prevailed among people desirous to
view them. Arrived at the jail, they descended from the
vehicle and walked up the steps to a landing or platform
in front of the entrance of the prison building. Joseph,
wore a suit of black and had a cloak of dark colored ma-
terial hanging on his arm. Hyrum followed him and the
others stood close around. The gaze of the spectators
was concentrated upon Joseph, and his majestic air made
a deep impression upon them. One lady in the crowd-
cried: ''Their Prophet looks like a gentleman!" An-
other looking at the group expressed the opinion: "Well,
they are fine looking men if they are Mormons."
It was on the 30th day of November, 1838, that they
were incarcerated in Liberty jail; and at once an order
was made to cut off all communication between them and
their friends, while every effort was put forth to drive
away or frighten any witnesses whose testimony might be
desirable for the -defendants. And at the same time the
threat went out through all that region that if judges or
juries or courts of any kind should clear the prisoners,
they would be slaughtered.
After a little time the rule concerning communications
was relaxed, and Joseph was able to write to his brethren.
In one of his letters, dated from Liberty jail, December
16th, 1838, he said:
But we want you to remember Haman and Mordecai :
you know Haman could not be satisfied so long as he saw
Mordecai at the king's gate, and he sought the life of
Mordecai and the people of the Jews. But the Lord so
ordered it, that Haman was hanged upon his own gal-
lows. So shall it come to pass with poor Haman in the
last days. Those who have sought by unbelief and
wickedness, and by the principle of monocracy, to de-
stroy us and the people of God, by killing them and.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 279
scattering thein abroad, and wilfully and maliciously de-
livering us into the hands of murderers, desiring us to be
put to death, thereby having us dragged about in chains
and cast into prison, and for what cause? It is be-
cause we were honest men, and were determined to save
the lives of ihe Saints at the expense of our own. I
say unto you, that those who have thus vilely treated
us like Haman, shall be hanged on their own gallows;:
or in other words, shall fall into their own gin and snare r
and ditch and trap, which they have prepared for us,
and shall go backwards and stumble and fall, and their
names shall be blotted out, and God shall reward thenx
according to all their abominations.
The people were making their preparations to leave
the state; but in the meantime they addressed a memorial
and petition to the legislature of Missouri, setting forth the
wrongs and outrages committed upon them. These ap-
peals were presented, but after an angry discussion they
were laid upon the table. At the same time an appropri-
ation of $200,000 was made to the mob to pay them for
their crimes against the Saints.
This action was so outrageous that something must
be done to distract public attention, and the mob ele-
ment secured the publication of the most enormous false-
hoods against the people. In these accounts the wicked-
ness of the mob was disguised or denied. But the Prophet
exposed them in the following words:
But can they hide the Governor's cruel order for
banishment or extermination? Can they conceal the
facts of the disgraceful treaty of the generals with their
own officers and men at Far West? Can they conceal
the fact that twelve or fifteen thousand men, women and
children have been banished from the state without trial
or condemnation? • And this at the expense of two hun-
dred thousand dollars — and this sum appropriated by the
state legislature in order to pay the troops for this act of
lawless outrage? Can they conceal the fact that we have
been imprisoned for many months, while our families,
friends and witnesses have been driven away? Can they
280 JOSKPH THE PROPHET.
conceal the blood of the murdered husbands and fathers,
or stifle the cries of the widow and the fatherless? Nay!
The rocks and mountains may cover them in unknown
depths, the awful abyss of the fathomless deep may swal-
low them up — and still their horrid deeds stand forth in
the broad light of day, for the wondering gaze of angels
and men! They cannot be hid.
The year drew to a close. The Saints were impover-
ished and scattered. The Prophet and his companions,
loaded with chains, were in a noisome dungeon; several
times they were poisoned, and, during a period of five
days, human flesh was served to them as meat. The
guards called it "Mormon beef," and the Prophet warned
.his companions not to touch it.
The earth was wrapped in gloom for the people of
God when the sun sank for the last time upon the year
1838; but beyond and above this sphere was the star of
eternal faith, whose light no prison walls could shut out
from trusting souls.
CHAPTER XLII.
THE PLEDGE FOR THE POOR SAINTS IN MISSOURI — BRIGHAM
YOUNG DRIVEN FORTH — EFFORTS TO SECURE THE PROPH-
ET'S RELEASE — REMOVAL TO GALLATIN — EXAMINATION
OF THE CASE BY A DRUNKEN JURY — WHOLESALE INDICT-
MENT — CHANGE OF VENUE TO BOONE — ESCAPE FROM MIS-
SOURI TO ILLINOIS.
With the dawn of 1839, a pledge was given by many of
the brethren in Missouri that they would assist each other
and assist the poor to escape from the state; and the prom-
ise was sacredly redeemed.
But the persecution did not cease. Brigham Young
who had been chosen president of the Twelve in place of
Thomas B. Marsh, an apostate, w r as driven out of Far
West by mobs that sought his life. He with other fugitive
Saints went to Illinois, and the charitable people of Quin-
sy, Adams County, extended to the persecuted people a
hand of kindness.
In January, Heber C. Kimball and Alanson Ripley
went to Liberty and began to importune at the feet of
judges for relief for their suffering Prophet and brethren
in prison. One Judge Hughes believed that they were
pleading the cause of the innocent and wanted the captives
admitted to bail; but his associates were hardened and
would not consent. The two supplicants were soon com-
pelled, «by mob fury, to desist from their importunities
and were driven away from Liberty.
A writ of habeas corpus was secured about the close
of January to bring the prisoners before Judge Turnham.
An examination was held, but it was a farce. Nearly all
the officers of the law, if not in league with the mob, were
282 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
in terror of its power. Sidney Rigdon alone was released
at the hearing upon the writ; but he had to return to jail
because the rabble swore they would kill him if he were
turned loose. A little later Sidney was let out of the pris-
on secretly in the night by a friendly jailor, and he es-
caped to Quincy.
The families of Joseph, Hyrum and the other captive
brethren gathered up to Quincy after undergoing the most
appalling privations. It was Stephen Markham who es-
corted Emma, Joseph's wife, and their children from Far
West, through all the dangers of Missouri and to a place
of safety. The Saints were arriving there in large num-
bers during the winter and early spring, but were not de-
cided yet where to settle.
On the 15th day of March the Prophet and the other
brethren in Liberty jail made petitions to the judges of
the supreme court for writs of habeas corpus, by which
they hoped to have the proceedings of their imprisonment
examined; but they were obstructed by the hatred against
them. It was evident that the purpose of their enemies
was to withhold judicial hearing until after the brethren
had suffered death in prison. And their efforts from this
time on during their captivity were continuous to secure
such hearing.
A conference was held at Quincy on the 17th of
March, 1839, over which Brigham Young presided as the
head of the Twelve. Thomas B. Marsh and several other
persons of some prominence were excommunicated from
the Church.
A gathering place for the Saints was necessary. This
the Prophet felt every hour. While he was in prison in
Liberty the brethren had friendly communication with one
Dr. Isaac Galland upon the subject of settlement by the
Saints in Iowa Territory and at Commerce, Illinois. From
his dungeon the Prophet pressed the Elders to make a
close examination of this matter, as the springtime was
at hand and the crops for the year must be planted.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 283
In prison, Joseph was in constant communion with
the heavens and he received revelations, without which
he and his brethren must have been cast down and with-
out hope. He also sent epistles full of instruction and
hope to leading men among the Saints. And his cheerful
courage under the most trying circumstances of his life
was very helpful in animating the banished people to pur-
sue their migration with energy and fortitude.
While the Prophet and companions were still in Lib-
erty jail, and alter having repeatedly and vainly sought
release by law, they thought they saw an opportunity to
escape. At Hyrum's instance Joseph prayed to the Lord
and asked if it were His will that they should depart from
prison. The answer came to the Prophet that if they were
all agreed in faith and purpose they might escape that
night. When this response was made known, all of the
brethren except Lyman Wight coincided in the opinion
that they should seize their liberty, for they relied implic-
itly upon the promise given. But Lyman trembled, hes-
itated; and, as his companions would not resolve to leave
him and as the promise of the Lord was based upon their
unanimity, they resolved to wait until the next night as
Lyman Wight agreed to then accompany them. The de-
lay was fatal; they broke the conditions of the promise
and remained in durance. On the night for which the
promise was given the jailor came in alone with their sup-
pers and left the doors wide open, so that they might
easily have escaped. The next night he brought a double
guard with him and also six visiting brethren. As the
jailor was leaving their dungeon some of them attempted
to follow him; but they were foiled. The guards were so
enraged at the effort, although it had been a vain one,
that they locked up the visiting brethren and made threats
against their persons and property. The attempt to es-
cape created great excitement; and the people of the town
swarmed around the jail proposing various plans to
destroy Joseph and all his companions. But the Prophet
284 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
told his brethren to have no fear; not a hair of their heads
should be harmed, and the brethren who had come in to
comfort them should not lose any of their personal belong-
ings — not even a horse or a saddle. He told them that
they had risked their lives to bring joy to himself and
companions and the Lord would bless them. These prom-
ises were fulfilled to the letter.
When the visiting brethren were called for trial,
Brother Erastus Snow, who was one of them, pWd their
cause as he had been counseled by Joseph. He did so in
such a forcible and eloquent manner that orders of dis-
charge in some cases and orders for bail in the others
were immediately entered. Elder Snow's argument had
been so strong and logical in its legal deductions that the
lawyers who heard him supposed that he was a trained
attorney.
Many enemies of the Prophet were permitted by the
guard to visit and insult him in prison. It was their habit
to charge him with murder. Several different men ac-
cused him of having killed their sons at the battle on
Crooked River; several more, who were no kin to each
other, charged him with having killed their brothers in
the same battle. And this was the texture of the accusa-
tions made against him in and out of court. It had been
alleged that only one man was killed at the battle of
Crooked River, so it was impossible for several different
men to lose sons and brothers there; and Joseph was not
near the scene of that contest.
On one occasion a company under the leadership of
William Bowman made solemn oath that they would never
eat or drink more until th;y had taken the life of Joseph
Smith. Bowman himself went to one of the Elders and
made this boast:
After I once lay eyes on your Prophet I will never
taste food or drink until I have killed him.
As these men all .saw the Prophet soon afterward,
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 285
and as he lived more than five years from that time, they
either broke their oath or endured a long fast.
Before Brigham Young was driven out of Missouri
into Illinois he went with Elders Heber C. Kimball and
George A. Smith to see the Prophet in prison. Joseph
enjoyed two visits with them ; and when they left him they
were much affected and were determined to do something
further for his release. In the latter part of March, El-
ders Heber 0. Kimball and Theodore Turley, carrying
with them the papers in the case, went to see the Gover-
nor. As Boggs was absent from the capital the secretary
of state reviewed the documents; and he was amazed that
any man should be held in custody upon such papers, for
they were in every sense illegal, insufficient and absurd.
However, nothing was done from the executive office to
relieve them; and Elders Kimball and Turley then applied
to the supreme court judges for a writ of habeas corpus
but without avail. When these devoted men returned to
Liberty and reported the failure of their mission, the
Prophet bade them be of good cheer and said:
We shall be deivered; but no arm but that of God
can save us now. Tell the brethren to be of good cheer
and to get the Saints away from Missouri as soon as pos-
sible.
On Saturday, the 6th day of April, 1839, Judge
King ordered the Prophet and his fellow-prisoners off to
Gallatin, Daviess County. This judicial autocrat feared a
change of venue or some movement from a superior tri-
bunal to secure the release of the prisoners or their
removal from his personal power, and he determined to
carry them away from Liberty. He sent them under a
guard of ten men, promising the brethren that they
should be permitted to go through Far West to see their
friends, as that place was directly on their route. Instead,
however, of fulfilling his promise, the guards carried the
captives eighteen miles out of the direct course to avoid the
286 JOSEPH THE PROPHET
city, dragging them through a dangerous country, appar-
ently in the hope that some of their sworn enemies would
fall upon and massacre them.
The journey to Gallatin was very painful, for Joseph
and his brethren had been greatly enfeebled by their long
confinement and the privations which they had endured
while enchained in Literty dungeon. Before they had
started on this journey, some of the captive brethren had
desired to have a party of friends to accompany them for
protection. But as they never did anything without ask-
ing the Prophet, they consulted him upon this point. He
responded:
In the name of the Lord, if we put our trust in Him
alone we shall be saved and no harm shall befall us, and
we shall be better treated than ever before since we have
been prisoners.
Although this surprised the brethren, it satisfied
them. But when they arrived at the place where the
co art was to be held at Gallatin, they began to think the
Prophet had been mistaken for once, for the rabble rushed
out upon them shrieking, "Kill them; them,
kill them!" There was apparently no chance for escape
except to fight, and they were unarmed. At this instant
the Prophet rose to his feet and said:
We are in your hands ; if we are guilty, we do not
refuse to be punished by the law.
Some of the bitterest mobocrats hearing these words
and being impressed by the power with which they were
uttered, warned the blood-thirsty rabble back and quieted
the storm. During the time of their stay in Gallatin the
Prophet's promise was fulfilled; for they enjoyed all the
comforts and some of the luxuries of life, tendered them
by men who sympathized with their long-suffering and
patient endurance. The day after their arrival at Galla-
tin, an examination of their case commenced before a
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 287
-drunken jury. Austin A. King, who acted here as the
presiding judge, was as drunk as the jurymen. The same
perjured testimony was invoked at this time as on prev-
ious occasions. Everything which was prejudicial to the
prisoners, even when it was a patent falsehood, and even
when, if true, it could have had no relevancy to the case,
was eagerly seized and applauded. Stephen Markham
desired to testify to some facts which were favorable to
the defendants. He had reached Gallatin on the after-
noon of the 9th, having hastened from Far West, swim-
ming several streams by the way, to bring money and
comfort to the Prophet and his companions. At his
request his testimony was received. It did not suit the
mobocratic guards, and they attempted to kill him. The
notorious Colonel William P. Peniston was one of their
number. Judge King and all the members of the grand
jury saw the attack upon Markham, and the threats
against his life, but they took no cognizance of these out-
rages.
On the 11th of April, 1839, the grand jury brought in
a bill against Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Alexander
McRae, Caleb Baldwin and Lyman Wight for "murder,
treason, bui^glary, arson, larceny, theft and stealing."
All of these counts were embodied in one indictment, and
not one of them was sustained by any specific statement
of circumstances. The language of the bill proves that
the grand jury, like General Clark, had failed to find a
definite charge which they could substantiate, and so in-
cluded everything which they could think of. That night
Elder Markham stayed with the brethren and while he
slept a vision came to Joseph, showing him that his
beloved Brother Markham was in peril of his life, at the
same time showing him that his own deliverance and that
of his captive companions, was nigh. The Prophet
aroused Stephen and told him to hasten away from Galla-
tin, because if he waited until broad day — according to
his expectation for the purpose of meeting the lawyers —
L } 8S JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
he would be waylaid by a mob which intended to assass-
inate him. Stephen knew that the warning was from the
Lord and he fled, thereby baffling the mobocrats who, as
shown to Joseph in the vision, had really made their plot
to kill Stephen. After he was gone, an armed party pur-
sued him a long distance on the road to Far West; but
they were unable to overtake him.
Elder Alexander McRae, who was a prisoner with
Joseph at this time, says that it was the Prophet's char-
acteristic to always defend his companions no matter how
unpopular it might be to speak in their favor. He was
much more solicitous for them than for himself. And as
an illustration Brother McRae says that while they were
at Gallatin, Peniston began to insult one of the captive
brethren. Joseph darted a glance of lightning upon the-
wretch and said in tones of thunder: "Your heart is as
black as your whiskers."
Peniston threw his hand over his beard, which was
as black as a crow and rushed from the room quaking in
every limb.
Elder Markham had left with the brethren a recent
statute which enabled them to secure a change of venue
upon their own affidavit; and after the mock examination
in Gallatin the Prophet and his companions procured a
change of venue to Boone County, for which place they
departed on the 15th day of April, 1839, under charge of
a strong guard. On the evening of the 16th, while pur-
suing their journey, all of the guards became intoxicated.
It was a favorable moment for an escape, and the breth-
ren seized the opportunity. The Prophet's reasons for
consenting to this escape were stated by him at the time
in the following language ;
Knowing the only object of our enemies was our
destruction, * * * we thought that [escape] was nec-
essary for us, inasmuch as we love our lives, and did not
wish to die by the hands of murderers and assassins; and
inasmuch as we love our families and friends.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 289
By this act the brethren took their change of venue
from the state of Missouri to the state of Illinois. After
indescribable hardships, traveling by night and suffering-
all manner of privations, they arrived in Quincy, Illinois,
and met the congratulations of their friends and the
embraces of their families.
Reviewing the awful experience through which he and
his fellow captives had passed,. Joseph wrote on the day of
his arrival at Quincy as follows :
We were in their hands, as prisoners, about six
months; but notwithstanding their determination to
destroy us, * * and although at three different times
(as we were informed) we were sentenced to be shot, with-
out the least shadow of law (as we were not military
men) and had the time and place appointed for that pur-
pose, yet through the mercy of God, in answer to the
prayers of the Saints, we bave been preserved and deliv-
ered out of their hands, and can again enjoy the society
of our friends and brethren, whom we love and to whom we
feel united in bonds that are stronger than death, and in a
state where we believe the laws are respected, and whose
citizens are humane and charitable.
During the time we were in the hands of our enemies,
we must say that although we felt anxiety respecting our
families and friends, who were so inhumanly treated and
abused, and who had to mourn the loss of their * * *
slain, and, after having been robbed of nearly all that they
possessed, be driven from their homes, and forced to
wander as strangers in a strange country, in order that
they might save themselves and their little ones from
the destruction they were threatened with in Missouri,
yet as far as we were concerned, we felt perfectly calm,
and resigned to the will of our Heavenly Father. We
knew our innocency, as well as that of the Saints, and
that we had done nothing to deserve such treatment from
the hands of our oppressors. Consequently, we could
look to that God who has the hearts of all men in His
hands, and who has saved us frequently from the gates
of death, for deliverance; and notwithstanding that every
avenue of escape seemed to be entirely closed, and death
stared us in the face, and that our destruction was
21
290 JOSEPH TEE PEOPHET.
determined upon, as far as man was concerned, yet from
our first entrance into the camp, we felt an assurance that
we, with our families, should be delivered. Yes, that still
small voice, which had so often whispered consolation to
our souls, in the depths of sorrow and distress, bade us
be of good cheer, and promised deliverance, which
gave us great comfort. And although the heathen
raged, and the people imagined vain things, yet the Lord
of Hosts, the God of Jacob was our refuge, and when we
cried unto Him in the day of trouble, He delivered us; for
which we call upon our souls to bless and praise His holy
name. For although we were troubled on every side, yet
not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted,
but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.
CHAPTER XLIII.
THE EXODUS COMPLETED— A FRAGMENT OF ITS AGONIES — THE
WOES OF A MARTYR'S WIDOW, A TYPE OF THE GENERAL
SUFFERING — THREAT THAT ONE OF JOSEPH'S PROPHECIES
SHOULD FAIL — BUT IT IS FULFILLED BY COURAGEOUS
APOSTLES — MISSOURI'S PUNISHMENT AND ATONEMENT.
The agony of the exodus from Missouri cannot be de-
scribed. Many of the brethren had been killed; many
more were in prison; mid all the rest were pursued with
vindictive hate and threats of death. But for the spirit
of mutual help which prevailed, the half of the stricken
Saints must have perished by massacre or starvation in
Missouri. A pitiful picture of some of the trials they
endured was drawn by Sister Amanda Smith, a survivor
of the Haun's Mill massacre. The mob had killed her
husband and one son and had dangerously wounded an-
other of her children.
She says:
They [the mob] told us we must leave the state forth-
with or be killed. It was cold weather, and they had our
teams and clothes, our men all dead or wounded. I told
them they might kill me and my children and welcome.
They sent word to us from time to time, saying that if we
did not leave the state they would come and kill us. We
had little prayer meetings ; they said if we did not stop
these, they would kill every man, woman and child. We
had spelling schools for our little children; they said if we
did not stop these they would kill every man, woman and
child. We [the women] had to do our own milking, cut
our own wood; no man to help us. I started on the 1st
of February for Illinois without money; mobs on the way;
drove our own team; slept out of doors. I had five small
children; we suffered hunger, fatigue and cold.
292 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
This is one scene by which the whole Missouri tragedy
of that day may be judged.
Some time after the Saints had completed their exodus
Hyrum Smith epitomized the awful events in the follow-
ing words:
Governor Boggs and Generals Clark, Lucas, Wilson
and Gilliam, also Austin A. King, have committed treas-
onable acts against the citizens of Missouri, and did vio-
late the constitution of the United States and also the
constitution and laws of the state of Missouri, and did
exile and expel, at the point of the bayonet, some twelve or
fourteen thousand inhabitants of the state, and did murder
some three or four hundred of men, women and children in
cold blood, in the most horrid and cruel manner possible.
And the whole of it was caused by religious bigotry and
persecution, and because the Mormons dared to worship
Almighty God according to the dictates of their own con-
science, and agreeably to His divine will, as revealed in
the scriptures of eternal truth.
The Prophet himself bore testimony that the conduct
of the Saints under their accumulated wrongs and suffer-
ings was most praiseworthy. He had observed them from
within his prison walls, and after the order of exile was
fully enforced he wrote:
The courage of the Saints in defending their brethren
from the ravages of the mobs, their attachment to the
cause of truth, under circumstauces most trying and dis-
tressing which humanity can possibly endure; their love
to each other; * * * their sacrifice in leaving Missouri
and assisting the poor widows and orphans and securing
them homes in a more hospitable land; all combine to
raise them in the estimation of all good and virtuous men,
and has secured them the favor and approbation of Jeho-
vah, and a name as imperishable as eternity. And their
virtuous deeds and heroic actions, while in defense of
truth and their brethren, will be fresh and blooming when
the names of their oppressors shall be either entirely
forgotten, or only remembered for their barbarity and
cruelty.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 293
On the 5th day of April, 1839, Captain Bogart, who
was now the county judge of Caldwell, with a number of
apostates andmobocrats, visited Elder Theodore Turley,
in Far West, and called his attention to the revelation
given through Joseph Smith, July 8th, 1838, in which the
following passage occurs :
Let them [the Twelve] take leave of my Saints in the
city of Far West on the 26th day o£ April next, on the
building spot of my house, saith the Lord.
Bogart and his companions said to Elder Turley:
As a rational man, you must give up the claim that
Joseph Smith is a prophet and an inspired man; the
Twelve are scattered all over creation ; let them come here
if they dare: if they do, they will be murdered. As that
revelation cannot be fulfilled, you must now give up your
faith. This is like all the rest of Joseph Smith's damned
prophecies.
Elder Turley rebuked them with such manliness and
power of the Spirit that John Whitmer, one of the apos-
tates who was present, hung his head in shame.
But the Lord God Almighty would not permit one
jot or tittle of His promise to fail; He had servants with
the courage and fidelity to perform His command. At
1 o'clock in the morning of the 26th day of April, 18o9,
the day promised in the revelation, seven of the Twelve
Apostles, a majority of the quorum, held a conference on
the temple site at Far West; and the master workman
laid a corner stone of the foundation of the Lord's house.
After the inspiring services were ended, the Twelve took
leave of the congregation of the Saints, as had been
promised.
It was at this conference that Wilford Woodruff and
George A. Smith were ordained to the Apostleship. Brig-
ham Young presided over the meeting and John Taylor
was its clerk.
294 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
President Brigham Young, in speaking of this matter
in his history, details the following incident:
As the Saints were passing away from the meeting,
Brother Turley said to Page and Woodruff, "Stop a bit,
while I bid Isaac Russell good-bye;" and knocking at the
door called Brother Russell
His wife answered, "Come in, it is Brother Turley."
Russell replied, "It is not; he left here two weeks
ago," and appeared quite alarmed; but on finding it
was Turley, asked him to sit down; but he replied, "I
cannot; I shall lose my company."
"Who is your company I" inquired Russell.
"The Twelve." •
"TheDtvelve!"
"Yes. Don't you know that this is the twenty- sixth, and
the day the Twelve were to take leave of their friends on
the foundation of the- Lord's House, to go to the islands
of the sea? The revelation is now fulfilled, and I am
going with them."
Russell was speechless, and Turley bid him farewell.
Thus was this revelation fulfilled, concerning which
our enemies said, if all the other revelations of Joseph
Smith were fulfilled, that one should not, as it had day
and date to it.
After the fulfillment of this prophecy, none of the
Saints had any desire to remain longer in the state of Mis-
souri, and the last remnant, except such as were held in
chains and dungeons hastened away to join their brethren
in Illinois and to find a new place of gathering. And a
few months later, after undergoing thrice the tortures of
death, Parley P. Pratt and the other captives had all been
released.
The turbulent spirits in Missouri had conquered, over-
riding law and justice and trampling humanity into the
dust. This is not the place for a review in detail of all
the sufferings of the Church of Jesus Christ in that region;
but when the chapter shall be written, it will be as tragic
as anything in American history.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 295
The edict of exile was made and enforced, and so far
as the Saints were concerned, the deed ended there; but
not so with the state of Missouri, for the wrong committed
remained to plague and wreak its vengeance upon guilty
and innocent alike. The demon conjured into power by
the murderous and plundering element of that region,
would not down. When there were no "Mormons' 7 to
persecute, the turbulent spirits of the border at times fell
upon each other and at other times fell unitedly upon law-
abiding, prosperous citizens. Missouri became deeply
involved in the Kansas troubles, in which the lawless,
mobocratic element took bloody part ; and when the Civil
War opened, the government of Missouri, from the exec-
utive office down, became a chaos. The man who occupied
the place disgraced by Lilburn W.Boggs, was a secession-
ist, and fled from his capital to lead the state militia at
Booneville against the Union troops. The national power
triumphed, and the governor and his forces, among which
were many of the old mobocrats, were utterly routed. The
offices which had once been disgraced by cowards were
now declared vacant by an arbitrary decree of a state con-
vention in sympathy with the Republic, one and indivis-
ible. The state was declared out of the Union by the
secessionist governor, and then became the theatre for a
fratricidal strife which deluged it with blood.
On the 31st day of August, 18 Jl, General John C.
Fremont, then in command of the western department,
declared martial law in the state of Missouri, and pro-
claimed free the slaves of all persons who had taken up
arms against the United States. It was a wonderful ret-
ribution that Missouri, in which the mob had declared as
a pretext for their assaults upon the Saints that the latter
were Abolitionists, should be the first state in which an
edict of manumission went forth. It is also a wonderful
retribution that the state in which the civil power had once
been helpless to protect law-abiding citizens, should, only
five months after the breaking out of the war, have its
296 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
civil power abrogated and all its people placed under mar-
tial rule. Some of the statements in Fremont's proclama-
tion show with startling significance the character of that
evil population which had been rewarded by the state for
expatriating the Latter-day Saints.
The General says:
Circumstances in my judgment of sufficient urgency,
render it necessary that the Commanding General of this
Department should assume the administrative powers of
the state. Its disorganized condition, the helplessness of
its civil authority, the total insecurity of life, and the de-
vastation of property by hands of murderers and marauders,
ivho infest nearly every county in the state, and avail them-
selves of the public misfortunes and the vicinity of a hostile
force to gratify private and neighborhood vengeance, and
ivho find an enemy wherever they find plunder, — finally
demand the severest measures to repress the daily increas-
ing crimes and outrages, which are driving off the inhab-
itants and ruining the state. In this condition, the public
safety and the success of our arms require unity of pur-
pose: without let or hindrance, to the prompt administra-
tion of affairs.
In order, therefore, to suppress disorders, to main-
tain as far as now practicable the public peace, and to
give security and protection to the persons and property
of loyal citizens, I do hereby extend, and declare estab-
lished, martial law throughout the state of Missouri. The
lines of the army of occupation in this state are for the
present declared to extend from Leavenworth, by way of
the posts of Jefferson City, Kolla and Ironton, to Cape
Girardeau, on the Mississippi River.
All persons who shall be taken with arms in their
hands within these lines shall be tried by court martial,
and if found guilty, will be shot.
Upon the subject of the slaves, in the same proclama-
tion, the General says:
The property, real and personal, of all persons in the
state of Missouri who shall take up arms against the
United States, and who shall be directly proven to have
taken active part with their enemies in the field, is declared
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 297
to be confiscated to the public use; and their slaves, if any
they have, are hereby declared free men.
And in enforcement of his proclamation to set the
negroes free, he issued deeds of manumission, of one of
which we are able to present a copy:
Deed of manumission. — Whereas, T. L. S., of the
city and county of St. Louis, Missouri, has been taking
active part with the enemies of the United States in the
present insurrectionary movement against the government
of the United States, Now, therefore, I, John Charles
Fremont, Major- General, commanding the Western De-
partment of the Army of the United States, by authority
of law, and the power vested in me, as such Command-
ing-General, declare Frank Lewis, heretofore "held to
service" or labor, by said T. L. S. to be free, and forever
discharged from the bonds of servitude; giving him full
right and authority to have, use and control his own labor
or service as to him may seem proper, without any ac-
countability whatever to said T. L. S., or any one to claim
by, through or under him. And this Deed of Manumission
shall be respected and treated by all persons and in all
courts of justice, as the full and complete evidence of the
freedom of said Frank Lewis.
In testimony whereof this act is done at St. Louis,
Missouri, this 1st day of September, 1861, as is evidenced
by the departmental seal hereto affixed by my order.
(Signed), John C. Fremont.
Horace Greeley, in his American Conflict, speaks of
"Missouri, betrayed by Jackson" (the governor) . Refer-
ring to the spectacle of anarchy and treason exhibited by
the seceding states, Greeley reaches the culmination with
Missouri and uses the following words:
We are now to contemplate more directly the spectacle
of a state plunged into secession and civil war, not in obe-
dience to, but in defiance of, the action of her convention
and the express tvill of her people — not, even, by any direct
act of her legislature, but by the will of her executive alone.
The state school fund, the money provided to
pay the July interest on the heavy state debt, and all other
298 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
available means, amounting in the aggregate to over three
millions of dollars, were appropriated to military uses,
and placed at the disposal of [Governor] Jackson, under
the pretense of arming the state against any emergency.
By another act the governor was invested with despotic
power — even verbal opposition to his assumptions of authori-
ty being constituted treason; while every citizen liable to
military duty was declared subject to draft into active
service at Jackson's will, and an oath of obedience to the
state executive exacted.
To support him in his treasonable exercise of power,
among the men chosen by Governor Jackson was John
B. Clark, the man whom Boggs had selected as a willing
tool and whom Jackson now found pliant to his purpose.
Another of the mob officers, Sterling Price, was now made
by Jackson, Major- General of the state forces.
Poor Missouri atoned with rivers of blood and tears
for her sin against herself in permitting the executive to
usurp unlawful authority. The precedent of Boggs' exer-
cise of power was handed down. In the day of the per-
secution of the Saints, a court had decided that belief in
the Bible was treason against the government. The idea
had moved with terrible momentum; for here we find in
1861 that, "even verbal opposition to the governor's as-
sumption of authority was constituted treason."
It is true that with any kind of a population Missouri
must have taken part either for or against the Union; but
it is also true that the existence within her boundaries of
thousands of lawless wretches who loved plunder and
rapine, largely increased her sufferings. The entire state
was punished for permitting the massacre of the Saints to
go unchecked and for encouraging the spirit of plunder
by rewarding the mobocrats with money from the state
treasury. Men learned to live by murder and rapine. It
cost Missouri dearly to get rid of the evil, but happily for
her much of the bad element was eliminated. Many of
the old mobocrats suffered all the tortures which they had
inflicted.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 299
But Missouri largely purged herself of the vile ele-
ment, and after the strife was ended better men and bet-
ter sentiments came into the ascendency. Some of the
men who had been averse to mobocratic violence against
the Latter-day Saints believed that retribution would
come. They lived to see the day of atonement and to
participate in a local reconstruction and a restoration of
better things.
The constituency of the mob is thus described by the
Prophet, in a letter dated at Commerce, Illinois, May
17th, 1839:
We have not at any time thought there was any
political party, as such, chargeable with the Missouri
barbarities, neither any religious society as such. They
were committed by a mob composed of all parties, re-
gardless of all difference of opinion either political or re-
ligious.
And at a later day in repeating this view, he said:
We consider that in making these remarks, we ex-
press the sentiments of the Ihurch in general as well as
our own individually, and also when we say in conclusion,
that we feel the fullest confidence, that when the subject
of our wrongs has been fully investigated by the authori-
ties of the United States, we shall receive the most perfect
justice at their hands; whilst our unfeeling oppressors
shall be brought to condign punishment, with the approba-
tion of a free and enlightened people, without respect to
sect or party.
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE LOCATION OF COMMERCE — NAUVOO, THE BEAUTIFUL — PITY
FROM PROMINENT MEN IN ILLINOIS— A DAY OF MIRACLES
— THE PROPHET RAISES THE SICK AT THE SOUND OF HIS
VOICE— JOSEPH SOUNDS THE TRUMP OF WARNING — THE
MISSION OF THE APOSTLES — THEIR SELF-SACRIFICE AND
COURAGE — CONFERENCE AT COMMERCE.
It was a sudden shifting of scenes from Missouri to Illi-
nois in that sad springtime of 1839.
An examination had been made of lands in Iowa, and
tracts were eventually secured there; but the beauty of
the site of Commerce and the hospitality evinced by the
people of Illinois were great attractions and decided the
Prophet upon making the location at that place. It was
on the 1st day of May that Joseph made the first purchase
of lands in that locality. The town consisted of only six
houses; the land was covered with trees and brush ; and
the soil was so wet that teams mired in the streets. The
climate was very unhealthy; but the Prophet knew thah
the blessing of God would make it a fit habitation for His
Saints.
It was a magnificent site, overlooking the Mississippi
which swept around it in a half circle, giving the place
three fronts upon the noble river. Because of the love-
liness of the site the name of Commerce was changed to
Nauvoo which means in Hebrew, the fair or beautiful.
The woes of the Saints while in Missouri had been
observed with an eye of pity from Illinois. Such mon-
strous crime against an unoffending people shocked the
patriotism and humanity of all who witnessed it, and the
people of Illinois wondered how the Missourians could be
so lost to all sense of justice and mercy as to commit
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 301
these acts of murder and pillage. Under date of May 8,
1839, Governor Thomas Garlin, Senator Eichard M.
Young, and many other prominent citizens of Illinois,
wrote a letter to all whom it might concern, in which they
spoke of "the sufferings of this unfortunate people [the
Saints], stripped as they have been of their all, and now
scattered throughout this part of the state. We say to
the charitable and benevolent, you need have no fear, but
your contributions in aid of humanity will be properly
applied if entrusted to the hands of Mr. [John P.J Greene.
He is authorized by his church to act in the premises; and
we most cordially bear testimony to his piety and worth
as a citizen."
It was on the 10th day of May that Joseph arrived
with his family at the Commerce purchase, taking up his
abode in a small log cabin on the bank of the river, thank-
ful to get even this poor shelter.
Joseph had been as much a sufferer as any among
the Saints. He and his family were in a state of utter
destitution as were his brethren and sisters when the loca-
tion was made at Nauvoo. His own affiictious and pov-
erty showed him what the Saints were enduring, and he
ministered among them with the unselfishness and vigor
of his life. The people looked to him for counsel and help
from day to day; and he found time, in all the multiplicity
of the business thrust upon him, to aid and advise each
individual according to his needs. It was almost a work
of creation from chaos to gather the scattered people and
establish the community in one spot, to feed and clothe
and house the destitute and afflicted.
The region surrounding Nauvoo had been too sickly
for other settlers, and soon after the Saints reached there
they suffered greatly from malaria. Joseph had filled his
house and tents with the sick, and through his exertions
in their behalf and his other labors he was soon prostrated.
But on the morning of the 22nd day of July, 1839, the
Spirit of the Lord rested powerfully upon him, and he
302 JOSEPH THE PROPHET
arose from his own bed and commenced to administer to
the sick who were at his place. He commanded them in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to arise and be made
whole; and all who heard him in faith were healed. The
events of that day of miracles are thus minutely described
in the journal of President Wilford Woodruff, which was
written at the time :
Many lay sick along the bank of the river, and Joseph
walked along up to the lower stone house, occupied by
Sidney Rigdon, and he healed all the sick that lay in his
path. Among the number was Henry Gr. Sherwood, who
was nigh unto death. Joseph stood in the mouth of his
tent and commanded him in the name of Jesus Christ to
arise and come out of his tent, and he obeyed him and
was healed. Brother Benjamin Brown and his family also
lay sick, the former appearing to be in a dying condition.
Joseph healed them in the name of the Lord. After heal-
ing all that lay sick upon the bank of the river as far as
the stone house, he called upon Elder Kimball and some
others to accompany him across the river to visit the sick
at Montrose. Many of the Saints were living at the old
military barracks. Among the number were several of
the Twelve. On his arrival, the first house he visited was
that occupied by Elder Brigham Young, the President of
the quorum of the Twelve, who lay sick. Joseph healed
him, when he arose and accompanied the Prophet on his
visit to others who were in the same condition. They vis-
ited Elder W.Woodruff, also Elders Orson Pratt and John
Taylor, all of whom were living in Montrose. They also
accompanied him. The next place they visited was the
home of Elijah Fordham, who was supposed to be about
breathing his last. When the company entered the room
the Prophet of God walked up to the dying man, and took
hold of his right hand and spoke to him; but Brother
Fordham was unable to speak, his eyes were set in his
head like glass, and he seemed entirely unconscious of all
around him. Joseph held his hand and looked into his
eyes in silence for a length of time. A change in the
countenance of Brother Fordham was soon perceptible to
all present. His sight returned, and upon Joseph asking
him if he knew him, he, in a low whisper, answered
"Yes." Joseph asked him if he had faith to be healed.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 303
He answered, "I fear it is too late; if you had come
sooner I think I could have been healed." The Prophet
said, "Do you not believe in Jesus Christ?" He answered
in a feeble voice, "I do." Joseph then stood erect, still
holding his hand in silence several moments, then he
spoke in a very loud voice, saying, "Brother Fordham, I
command you in the name of Jesus Christ to arise from
this bed and be made whole." His voice was like the
voice of God, and not of man. It seemed as though the
house shook to its very foundation. Brother Fordham
arose from his bed and was immediately made whole. His
feet were bound in poultices, which he kicked off, then
putting on his clothes he ate a bowl of bread and milk
and followed the Prophet into the street. The company
next visited Brother Joseph Bates Noble, who lay very
sick. He also was healed by the Prophet. By this time
the wicked became alarmed, and followed the company
into Brother Noble's house. After Brother Noble was
healed all kneeled down to pray. Brother Fordham was
mouth, and, while praying, he fell to the floor. The
Prophet arose, and looking round, he saw quite a number
of unbelievers in the house, whom he ordered out. When
the room was cleared of them Brother Fordham came to
and finished his prayer.
After healing the sick in Montrose, all the company
followed Joseph to the bank of the river, where he was
going to take the boat to return home. While waiting for
the boat a man from the west, who had seen that the sick
and dying were healed, asked Joseph if he would not go
to his house and heal two of his children, who were very
sick. They were twins and were three months old. Joseph
told the man he could not go; but he would send some
one to heal them. He told Elder Woodruff to go with the
man and heal his children. At the same time he took
from his pocket a silk bandanna handkerchief, and gave
it to Brother Woodruff, telling him to wipe the faces of
the children with it and they should be healed; and re-
marked at the same time: "As long as you keep that
handkerchief it shall remain a league between you and
me." Elder Woodruff did as he was commanded, and
the children were healed, and he keeps the handkerchief
to this day.
There were many sick whom Joseph could not visit,
so he counseled the Twelve to go and visit and heal them,
oOJ: JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
and many were healed under their hands. On the day
following that upon which the above described events took
place Joseph sent Elders George A. and Don Carlos
Smith up the river to heal the sick. They went up as far
as Ebenezer Robinson's — -one or two miles, and did as
they were commanded, and the sick were healed.
With the summer the building of the city was begun ;
also settlements were established across the river in Iowa.
Joseph bestowed constant attention upon the spiritual
as well as tie temporal interests of the people. He gave
them many important points of doctrine at this time;
and he labored as a missionary among both Saints and
strangers throughout the regions surrounding. His
efforts and those of his brethren, the Apostles, in preach-
ing the gospel bore rich fruit. There were many sincere
people who were seeking for light and these soon joined
the ranks of the believers.
The material welfare of the Saints increased marvel-
ously, the marshy wilderness on the Mississippi banks
soon grew to be a solid resting place for their weary feet.
The Twelve, on whom the burden of the exodus from
Missouri had fallen, were now preparing for their mission
to England; but before they went Joseph uttered the
warning sound which was to penetrate to the ends of the
earth:
The signs of the coming of the Son of Man are al-
ready commenced. One pestilence will desolate after an-
other. We shall soon see war and bloodshed. The moon
will be turned into blood. I testify of these things, and
that the coming of the Son of Man is nigh, even at your
doors If our souls are not looking forth for Him, we
shall be among those to call for th^ rocks to fall upon us.
I see men hunting the lives of their own sons, and
brother murdering brother, women killing their own
daughters, and daughters seeking the lives of their moth-
ers. I see armies arrayed against armies. I see blood,
fire, desolation. Jesus has said that the mother shall be
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 305
against the daughter, and the daughter against the moth-
er. These things are at our doors. They will follow the
Saints of God from city to city. * * * I know not
how soon these things will take place; and after a view of
them, shall I cry peace? No! I will lift up my voice and
testify of them.
The Apostles shared in his zeal. About the 1st of
July, 1839, six of them, all who were then at that point —
Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, John E. Page, Wil-
ford Woodruff, John Taylor and George A. Smith, ad-
dressed a communication to the Elders of the Church, to
all the branches, and to all the Saints scattered abroad
wherever they might be. Their epistle was so pleasing
to the Prophet that he embodied it in his personal journal,
and from it the following sentiments are selected:
Many of you have been driven from your homes,
robbed of your possessions, and deprived of the liberty of
conscience. You have been stripped of your clothing,
plundered of your furniture, robbed of your horses, your
cattle, your sheep, your hogs, and refused the protection
of law; you have been subject to insult and abuse, from
a set of lawless miscreants; you have had to endure cold,
nakedness, peril and sword; your wives and your children
have been deprived of the comforts of life ; you have been
subject to bonds, to imprisonment, to banishment, and
many to death, "for the testimony of Jesus, and for the
word of God." Many of your brethren, with those whose
souls are now beneath the altars, are crying for the venge-
ance of heaven to rest upon the heads of their devoted
murderers, and saying, "How long, Lord, holy and
true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
that dwell on the earth?" But it was said to them, that
they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-
servants also, and their brethren that should be killed as
they toere, should be fulfilled.
Dear brethren, we should remind you of this thing;
and although you have had indignities, insults and in-
juries heaped upon you, till further suffering would seem
to be no longer a virtue; we would say, be patient, dear
brethren, for as saith the Apostle, "ye have need of pa-
tience, that after being tried you may inherit the promise."
22
306 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
You have been tried in the furnace of affliction; the time
to exercise patience is now come; and we shall reap,
brethren, in due time if we faint not. Do not breathe
vengeance upon your oppressors, but leave the case in the
hands of God; "for vengeance is mine, saith the Lord,
and I will repay."
We would say to the widow and the orphan, to the
destitute, and to the diseased, who have been made so
through persecution, be patient; you are not forgotten; the
God of Jacob has His eye upon you ; the heavens have
been witness to your sufferings, and they are registered
on high; angels have gazed upon the scene, and your
tears, your groans, your sorrows, and anguish of heart, are
had in remembrance before God; they have entered into the
sympathies of that bosom who is ' 'touched with the feel-
ings of our infirmities," who was 4 'tempted in all points
like unto you;" they have entered into the ears of the
Lord of Sabaoth; be patient then, until the words of God
be fulfilled, and His designs accomplished; and then shall
He pour out His vengeance upon the devoted heads of
your murderers; and then shall they know that He is God,
and that you are His people.
-;:- -* -;:- # •* *■ *
We wish to stimulate all the brethren to faithfulness;
you have been tried ; you are now being tried ; and those
trials, if you are not watchful, will corrode upon the mind,
and produce unpleasant feelings; but recollect that now
is the time of trial; soon the victory will be ours: now may
be a day of lamentation — then will be a day of rejoicing;
now may be a day of sorrow — but by and by we shall
see the Lord; our sorrow will be turned into joy, and our
joy no man taketh from us. Be honest; be men of truth
and integrity; let your word be your bond; be diligent,
be prayerful; pray for and with your families; train up
your children in the fear of the Lord; cultivate a meek
a quiet spirit; clothe the naked, feed the hungry, help the
destitute, be merciful to the widow and orphan, be mer-
ciful to your brethren, and to all men: bear with one
another's infirmities, considering your own weakness;
bring no railing accusation against your brethren.
# * * # •*
We are glad, dear brethren, to see that spirit of enter-
prise and perseverance which is manifested by you in
JOSEPH THE PEOPHET. 307
regard to preaching the gospel; and rejoice to know that
neither bonds nor imprisonment, banishment nor exile, pov-
erty nor contempt, nor all the combined powers of earth
and hell, hinder you from delivering your testimony to the
world, and publishing those glad tidings which have been
revealed from heaven by the ministering of angels, by
the gift of the Holy Ghost, and by the power of God, for
the salvation of the world in these last days. And we
would say to you, that the hearts of the Twelve are with
you, and they with you are determined to fulfil their mis-
sion, to clear their garments of the blood of this gener-
ation, to introduce th^ gospel to foreign nations, and 'to
make known to the world these great things God has
developed. They are now on the eve of their departure
tor England, and will start in a few days. They feel to
pray for you, and to solicit an interest in your prayers,
and in the prayers of the Church, that God may sustain
them in their arduous undertaking, grant them success in
their mission, deliver them from the powers of darkness,
the stratagem of wicked men, and all the combined powers
of earth and hell. And if you unitedly seek after unityof
purpose and design; if you are men of humility, and of
faithfulness, of integrity and perseverance; if yon submit
yourselves to the teachings of heaven, and are guided by
the Spirit of God; if you at all times seek the glory of God
and the salvation of men, and lay your honor prostrate in
the dust, if need be, and are willing to fulfil the purposes
of God in all things, the power of the priesthood will rest
upon you, and you will become mighty in testimony, the
widow and the orphan will be made glad, and the poor
among men rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
The bond between the Prophet and his brethren, the
Apostles, was close and strong. He relied upon them,
confided in them, and showed them all the respect which
their nobility of soul deserved. In their exercise of au-
thority during his incarceration in Missouri he gave them
cordial support, subsequently having all their acts ratified
by the voice of the general conference. When he escaped
from captivity and joined them in Illinois, the love with
which he greeted them was like that of brother for
brothers. Brigham Young, writing of the meeting, says:
308 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
It was one of the most joyful scenes of my life to once
more strike hands with the Prophet, and behold him and
his companions free from the hands of their enemies.
Joseph conversed with us like a man who had just escaped
from a thousand oppressions, and was now free in the
midst of his children.
Joseph met with the Apostles frequently befqre their
departure, praying for them and blessing them for their
work. He also attended their farewell meetings and added
his voice to the instructions which they gave to the Saints at
Nauvoo before departing to engage in the vast work in the
Old World. Elder Parley P. Pratt, now freed from prison,
and Elder Orson Pratt were with them. In the months of
August and September seven of the Twelve departed on
their mission to England.
Elders John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff were the
first, leaving on the 8th day of August, 1839. Elder
Woodruff arose from the bed to which he had been confined
for two weeks in order to start on this journey. Both of
these devoted men left their no less devoted families at
Montrose in sickness and poverty and distress; and yet
all relying upon the Lord for preservation and blessing.
Elders Taylor and Woodruff started together without purse
or scrip.
Elders Parley P. Pratt and Orson Pratt, making all
necessary sacrifices, departed from Nauvoo on the 29th of
August.
Elders Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball started
together on the 18th of September, 1839. Brigham was
so sick that he was unable to walk a few rods down to
the river without assistance. He left his wife ill with a
babe only ten days old, and all his other children help-
less. Heber was in the same plight. His wife and all
her children but one were prostrated. After Brigham
and Heber had traveled thirteen miles on their journey,
they stopped at the residence of a friend and were so
feeble as to be unable to carry into the house their
JOSEPH THE PK0PHET. 309
trunks, which contained the very few articles of clothing
they were able to take with them. In less than a month
after their departure President Brigham Young's father
John Young, died at Quincy, Adams County, Illinois; so
when Brigham bade his father farewell to go on this
mission, the parting was for the remainder of their earthly
lives. John Young was a noble man: he had been a
soldier in the Revolution. At his death the Prophet said
of him:
He was a firm believer in the everlasting gospel of
Jesus Christ, and fell asleep under the influence of that
faith which buoyed up his soul, in the pangs of death,
to glorious hope of immortality; fully testifying to all
that the religion he enjoyed in life was able to support
him in death. He was driven from Missouri with the
Saints; * " * he died a martyr to the religion of
Jesus, for his death was caused by his sufferings in that
cruel persecution.
On the 21st of September, 1839, Elder George A.
Smith departed for England. He left his father, mother,
sister and brother sick in a log stable, all unable to help
themselves ov each other. He, himself, was so emaciated
that after he was a little way on his journey, he met some
men who cried out: "Somebody has been robbing a grave-
yard of a skeleton."
Three other men started with the Apostles: Hiram
Clark in company with Parley and Orson, and Theodore
Turley and Reuben Hedlock in company with George A.
Smith.
This was the sublime missionary movement of the
Apostles. How like the grain of mustard seed! Leaving
the people of God in sickness and in poverty, they them-
selves being on the verge of the grave, these disciples of
Jesus went forth to proclaim the gospel of redemption.
If their faith had not been such as not to be shaken, the
world never more would have heard of their endeavor.
But it was firm and steadfast, and God rewarded it; and the
310 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
little mustard seed quickened and grew and became a
mighty tree. The Prophet said of them:
Perhaps no men ever undertook such an important
mission under such peculiarly distressing, forbidding and
unpropitious circumstances. Most of them
were worn down with sickness and disease or were taken
sick on the road. Several of their families were also
afflicted and needed their aid and support. But knowing
that they had been called by the God of heaven to preach
the gospel to other nations, they conferred not with flesh
and blood, but obedient to the heavenly mandate, with-
out purse or scrip, commenced a journey of five thousand
miles entirely dependent on the providence of that God
who had called them to such a holy calling.
The Twelve faltered not an instant in their appointed
labor, and while they spread abroad the tidings of salva-
tion, the Prophet in Nauvoo was directing the gathering
Saints that they mi^ht build a city whose loveliness and
greatness should attract the eye of every beholder.
On the 5th day of October, 1839, a general conference
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was
convened at Nauvoo, at which it was decided to establish
there a stake of Zion, and to organize a branch of the
Church on the opposite side of the river in Iowa Territory,
and officers were appointed to preside and officiate in the
stake and over the branch.
At this same conference it was resolved that Joseph
Smith, accompanied by Elias Higbee and Sidney Rigdon,
should proceed to Washington to lay before the President
and Congress of the nation the wrongs which the Saints
had endured.
CHAPTER XLV.
REASONS FOR AN APPEAL TO WASHINGTON — JOSEPH AND COM-
PANIONS DEPART FOR THE NATIONAL CAPITAL — THE
PROPHET'S ACT OF PHYSICAL HEROISM — HE SEES INGRATI-
TUDE — MARTIN VAN BUREN AND JOSEPH SMITH — THE
LATTER'S SCORN — COWARDICE AND CHICANERY — "YOUR
CAUSE rS JUST, BUT I CAN DO NOTHING FOR YOU."
The Saints had suffered innocently in Missouri; they had
appealed in vain for redress; they were impoverished
through the robberies which had been perpetrated upon
thera; and their old men, delicate women, and little chil-
dren, even after the gathering to Nauvoo, were dying of
privations.
These were material reasons for an application to the
national government for succor; and besides these, the
Prophet knew that the Lord required this appeal to be
made that — upon the answer thereto — the nation's
responsibility for the barbarities might be judged.
On Tuesday, the 29th day of October, 1839, Joseph
and his companions departed from Nauvoo. At Colum-
bus, Ohio, Joseph was obliged to leave Sidney Rigdon in
the care of attendants, as Sidney's frail health made travel
slow, and the Prophet's business required expedition; so
Joseph went on with Judge Elias Higbee.
Joseph and Judge Higbee traveled in the coach; and
on the way while they were passing through the moun-
tains the driver of the stage stopped at a public house to
get some liquor. While he was gone the horses took
fright and ran down a steep hill, at full speed. The
coach was crowded with passengers, some of whom were
members of Congress, with two or three ladies. There was
dl2 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET.
very much excitement in the vehicle. Joseph did all he
could to calm his fellow-passengers and was able to reas-
sure most of them. But he had to hold one woman to
keep her from throwing her infant out of the stage win-
dow. As soon as he got the people in the coach under
control, he opened the door; and securing his hold on the
side, he climbed up into the driver's seat, a feat requiring
physical strength, as well as nerve and a cool head, for
the stage was pitching and rolling like a boat in a storm.
He instantly seized the lines and stopped the maddened
steeds. They had run about three miles; but the coach,
horses and passengers all escaped without injury — thanks
to Joseph's presence of mind and courage. The pas-
sengers praised him extravagantly; they thought his con-
duct most heroic; and the members of Congress even
went so far as to suggest that the incident should be men-
tioned in that body, as such a deed of daring deserved a
public recognition. But upon inquiring of Joseph what
his name was, in order to mention it as that of the hero
who had saved their lives, they found that their deliverer
was Joseph Smith, the " Mormon Prophet." The mere
mention of the name was sufficient for them; and he
heard no more of their praise, gratitude or promises of
reward.
Joseph and his companion reached Washington on
the 28th day of November, 1839; and secured rooms at
the corner of Missouri and Third streets. The Prophet
determined that the cause of his people should be vigor-
ously presented. He visited the leading men of the na-
tion, including the President of the United States, Martin
Van Buren. He had prepared for presentation to Con-
gress an eloquent memorial in which was plainly stated
the crime of Missouri. Nothing was set down in malice;
but the facts were all given in such a straightforward way
that they formed apparently an irresistible argument.
The closing paragraphs of this paper must be here
presented:
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 313
The above statement will also show, that the Mor-
mons on all occasions submitted to the laws of the land, and
yielded to its authority in every extremity, and at every
hazard, at the risk of life and property. The above state-
ment will illustrate another truth: that wherever the Mor-
mons made any resistance to the mob, it was in self-
defense; and for these acts of self-defense they always
had the authority and sanction of the officers of the law
for so doing. Yet they, to the number of about fifteen
thousand souls, have been driven from their homes in
Missouri. Their property to the amount of two millions
of dollars, has been taken from them or destroyed. Some
of them have been murdered, beaten, bruised or lamed,
and have all been driven forth, wandering over the world
without homes, without property.
But the loss of property does not comprise half their
sufferings. They were human beings possessed of human
feelings and human sympathies. Their agony of soul
was the bitterest drop in the cup of their sorrows.
For these wrongs the Mormons ought to have some
redress ; yet how and where shall they seek and obtain it!
Your constitution guarantees to every citizen, even the
humblest, the enjoyment of life, liberty and property. It
promises to all, religious freedom, the right to all to wor-
ship God beneath their own vine and fig tree, according
to the dictates of their conscience. It guarantees to
all the citizens of the several states the right to become
citizens of any one of the states, and to enjoy all the
rights and immunities of the citizens of the state of his
adoption. Yet of all these rights have the Mormons
been deprived. They have, without a cause, without a
trial been deprived of life, liberty, and property. They
have been persecuted for their religious opinions. They
have been driven from the state of Missouri, at the point
of the bayonet, and prevented from enjoying and exercis-
ing the rights of citizens of the state of Missouri. It is the
theory of our laws, that for the protection of every legal
right, there is provided a legal remedy. What, then, we
would respectfully ask, is the remedy of the Mormons?
Shall they apply to the legislature of the state of Missouri
for redress? They have done so. They have petitioned,
and these petitions have been treated with silence and
contempt. Shall they apply to the federal courts? They
314 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
were, at the time of the injury, citizens of the state of
Missouri. Shall they apply to the courts of the state of
Missouri? Whom shall they sue? The order for their
destruction, their extermination, was granted by the
Executive of the state of Missouri. Is not this a plea of
justification for the loss of individuals, done in pursuance
of that order? If not, before whom shall the Mormons
institute a trial? Shall they summon a jury of the indi-
viduals who composed the mob? An appeal to them were
in vain. They dare not go to Missouri to institute a suit;
their lives would be in danger.
For ourselves we see no redress, unless it is awarded
by the Congress of the United States. And here we make
our appeal as American citizens, as Christians, and as
Men — believing that the high sense of justice which exists
in your honorable bodies, will not allow such oppression
to be practiced upon any portion of the citizens of this
vast republic with impunity, but that some measures
which your wisdom may dictate, may be taken, so that
the great body of people who have been thus abused, may
have redress for the wrongs which they have suffered.
And to your decision they look with confidence, hoping it
may be such as shall tend to dry up the tear of the widow
and orphan, and again place in situations of peace, those
who have been driven from their homes, and had to
wade through scenes of sorrow and distress.
And yet the appeal was vain, as far as any practical
help was concerned. Some me ^bers of Congress showed
a great deal of interest in the Prophet, and the cause
which he was pleading: but after the most earnest effort,
the only result was to receive from Martin Van Buren the
famous, almost infamous, reply:
Your cause is just, but i can do nothing for you.
And in the sense of this answer, if not in its words,
the Senate and House of Representatives coincided. No
arm of national power would be outstretched in behalf of
the Saints. As, early in the Missouri trouble, Governor
Dunklin — to whom the people appealed, had sent them
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 315
back to their plunderers for redress 'and protection; so
now the President and Congress of the grandest republic
under the sun, told them to apply to Missouri to rectify
the wrong. It was as if one who had been robbed and
beaten on the public highway, should apply to a magis-
trate for help and should be sent back to ask the highway-
man to restore his purse and poiir balm on his wounds.
In one of his interviews with Van Buren the latter
coolly told the Prophet: "If I take up for you, I shall lose
the votes of Missouri."
This response shocked Joseph in more than a personal
sense. He was astounded that the flagrant outages com-
mitted against his people aroused no purpose of redress ;
but more than this, he felt the insult offered to every
American citizen when the chief executive of the nation
placed his political aspirations above his sense of right.
The Prophet himself was a man whose whole life was un-
stained by any act of fear. He knew the right and dared
all in its accomplishment. Before such a man as he,
towering in all his personal majesty and in the grandeur
of the cause he represented, how even the President of
the United States must- have cringed when he confessed
to the basest motives which can animate a public man !
Joseph could not, upon hearing these words, disguise the
contempt which he felt for the occupant of that position
to which every American citizen loves to pay honor. The
disdain which flashed from his eyes must have made even
Martin Van Buren feel small; for it is the universal testi-
mony of enemies and friends alike, that Joseph Smith's
righteous scorn was terrible as the lightning flash.
It is a historic picture, this meeting of the two presi-
dents. The subject of their interview was justice for an
unpopular people, few in number and poor in earthly in-
fluence. The manner in which the negotiation was carried
on, clearly shows the different natures of the two men.
Van Buren, a truckler to political influence and power,
was on this occasion autocratic and insolent. Your syco-
316 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
phant is always, when opportunity offers, a tyrant. Van
Buren was no exception to this. The opportunity to dis-
play the insolence of office without jeapordizing his own
interests was eagerly embraced. He doubtless had re-
ceived his cue from the traitorous officials who had be-
smirched the escutcheon of the state of Missouri with their
foul crimes against the constitution, the laws and the
principles of justice, or from those who represented them,
and deported himself accordingly.
On the other hand, his visitor was but a private citi-
zen in a political sense, and was the religious leader of a
mere handful of refugees, exiled from home and all the
comforts of this life, and now apparently as helpless in
politics as they were weak in numbers and distressed in
finances. And yet Joseph stood as an equal, overcoming
vain arrogance by natural dignity. Before they finally
parted the advantage was all with the humbler man; he
crushed down the insolence of Van Buren by his personal
kingliness and his declaration of the principles of truth
and justice.
Becoming satisfied that there was little use for him to
further press the claims of the Saints, Joseph departed
from the nation's capital and returned to Nauvoo, reach-
ing there on the 4th day of March, 1840. While in the
east he had preached the gospel at every opportunity, in
Washington, Philadelphia and other places, and had met
with much success. And this was a partial compensation
for the utter failure of his appeal.
After he returned home he wrote :
I arrived safely at Nauvoo, after a wearisome jour-
ney, through alternate snow and mud, having witnessed
many vexatious movements in government officers, whose
sole object should be the peace and prosperity of the
whole people; but I discovered this, that popular clamor
and personal aggrandisement are the ruling principles of
those in authority; and my heart faints within me when I
see by the visions of the Almighty, the end of this nation
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 317
if she continues to disregard the cries and petitions of her
virtuous citizens.
In the Prophet's absence, Hyrum had acted as the
president at Nauvoo. He had labored assiduously for the
temporal as well as the spiritual advancement of the peo-
ple, to sustain their bodily life and strength through the
trying winter and their faith through all the assaults of
the adversary. He had also published an account of the
Missouri persecutions, in the Times and Seasons, a semi-
monthly paper begun at Commerce in November, 1839, by
Don Carlos Smith and Ebenezer Robinson.
CHAPTER XL VI.
THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES — MIRACULOUS OPENING OF
THEIR WAY TO THE OLD WORLD — ORDINATION OF WIL-
LARD RICHARDS — SPECIAL LABORS OF EACH APOSTLE —
THE FIRST IMMIGRANTS TO ZION — JOSEPH'S LETTERS
OF INSTRUCTION AND COMFORT TO ELDERS AND SAINTS
ABROAD.
They "went forth weeping, bearing precious seed;" but
they "have returned with rejoicing bearing their sheaves
with them."
This is what the Prophet says of the Apostles and the
other missionaries who first went out from Nauvoo. The
details of the sublime work, which then was resumed
with such unparalleled vigor and which resulted in such
a marvelous increase to the Church, will soon be published
in another work of this series. There is only space in
this volume for a recognition of the general movement and
its success, as Joseph observed it and as it brought many
precious souls to restore the numerical strength and the
prosperity of the Saints.
We have seen how the Apostles went out from the
poverty of Nauvoo and Montrose. No man who reads the
history of that mission, undertaken at such a time, can
doubt that they and their fellow-missionaries were in-
spired; for no mere zealot, without the absolute conscious-
ness of divine direction and divine protection, would have
joined the movement.
We shall now see how these men triumphed over that
which to human understanding was impossible. Briefly
told:
Departing from Nauvoo ill and penniless, they made
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 319
their way across the country, scattering the seeds of truth
on every hand. And before they had reached the sea
coast some of the harvest was ready to gather. Their
way was miraculously opened to them in this land, that
they might have means to pursue their voyage to another.
Elders Taylor and Woodruff reached England on the 11th
of January, 1840, in company with Elder Theodore Tur-
ley. Elders Young, Kimball, Parley P. and Orson Pratt,
and George A. Smith, accompanied by Elder Reuben Hed-
lock, landed at Liverpool on the 6th day of April, 1840,
just ten years from the day of the Church's organization.
The brethren found there Elder Willard Richards and or-
dained him to the Apostleship in obedience to the revela-
tion. They scattered among the honest- in-heart, and each
one of them achieved a quick and lasting victory for the
faith. In the name of Jesus Christ they went forth heal-
ing the sick, restoring the lame and opening the eyes of
the blind. In all their labors they gave evidence of such
personal humility, bearing such a strong testimony to the
truth of the gospel that the honest-in-heart flocked by
hundreds to the standard which they reared.
Every one among these brethren performed some
special labor or occupied some special field. Elder Wood-
ruff made the proclamation of the truth in Staffordshire
and afterwards in Herefordshire, which yielded a wonder-
ful harvest of fruit. Elder Taylor organized a large
branch of the Church in Liverpool and established the
gospel in Ireland and the Isle of Man. Elder Heber C.
Kimball who had been so successful on his previous mis-
sion in proclaiming the gospel in Lancashire, opened the
work in London; in this labor he was accompanied by
Elders Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith. In this
conference the faithful and talented young Elder, Lorenzo
Snow, now an Apostle, soon became president. Elder
George A. Smith followed Elder Woodruff into Stafford-
shire, in which field he continued to labor after Elder
Woodruff went to Herefordshire. Elder Smith set apart
&
320 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
and directed Elder William Barratt for a mission to South
Australia; and about the same time William Donaldson,
an English convert, was ordained and blessed to perform
a mission in the East Indies. Elder Willard Richards
labored principally in Lancashire, though he spent some
time with Elder Woodruff in Herefordshire. Elder Orson
Pratt carried the work to Scotland. Elder Parley P.
Pratt, under the direction of President Brigham Young
and the other brethren of the Twelve, began the publica-
tion of the Millennial Star. President Brigham Young
directed the printing of the Book of Mormon, hymn book
and other works, and traveled and preached as opportunity
offered, being looked up to and sustained by his brother
Apostles as their President.
As early as the 6th of June, 1840, a company of Saints
sailed from England to make their way to Nauvoo. This
party consisted of forty- one people, the first to emigrate
from a foreign land to join the cause of Jesus Christ in
this last dispensation. Three months later the ship North
America sailed with two hundred Saints. From this time
on the work of immigration has been too vast to be fol-
lowed in the brief space now at command.
The greatness of the work which the brethren were
to perform in England was revealed to Joseph by the
Spirit, and he was impressed to extend the missionary
movement still further. On the 6th day of April, 1840,
Elder Orson Hyde, one of the Twelve Apostles, was
directed to take a mission to Jerusalem. He left his home
in Commerce on the 15th of the month, and in due time
he reached his field and offered a prayer to heaven from
the Mount of Olives as an introduction to his work.
The preaching of the gospel in the Old World was a
marvelous work and a wonder. From the time of the first
mission, Elders Joseph Fielding, Willard Richards and
William Clayton, with many other faithful brethren, had
kept open the source of the stream by their noble efforts ;
but when the Apostles landed there again in obedience to
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 321
divine revelation, and put forth their hands, the little
stream became an on-rushing river bearing triumph for the
Church upon its bosom.
From their labor the work spread into every land and
has gathered up its tens of thousands of heroic and self-
sacrificing souls.
Such a foundation was laid that when the majority of
the Apostles were called home, the work continued, and
it has continued up to the present time.
Joseph's appreciation of their labor is evinced in a
letter which he addressed to them in October, 1840. He
says:
Beloved Brethren :
May grace, mercy and peace rest upou you from
God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. * * * *
Be assured, beloved brethren, that I am no disinter-
ested observer of the things which are transpiring on the
face of the whole earth; and amidst the general move-
ments which are in progress, none is of more importance
than the glorious work in which you are now engaged ;
consequently 1 feel some anxiety on your account, that
you may, by your virtue, faith, diligence and charity, com-
mend yourselves to one another, to the Church of Christ,
and to your Father who is in heaven ; by whose grace you
have been called to so holy a calling; and be enabled to
perform the great and responsible duties which rest upon
you. And I can assure you, from the information I have
received, I feel satisfied that you have not been remiss in
your duty ; but that your diligence and faithfulness have
been such as must secure you the smiles of that God
whose servants you are, and also the goodwill of the
Saints throughout the world. The spread of the gospel
throughout England is certainly pleasing.
# v? * * t£
It is likewise very satisfactory to my mind, that there,
has been such a good understanding between you, and
that the Saints have so cheerfully hearkened to counsel,
and vied with each other in the labor of love, and in the
promotion of truth and righteousness. This is as it should
be in the Church of Jesus Christ: unity is strength. "How
pleasing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." Let
23
322 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
the Saints of the Most High ever cultivate this principle,
and the most glorious blessings must result, not only to
them individually, but to the whole Church — the order of
the kingdom will be maintained, its officers respected,
and its requirements readily and cheerfully obeyed.
Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and
ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons
of God. A man filled with the love of God is not content
with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the
whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.
This has been your feeling, and caused you to forego the
pleasures of home, that you might be a blessing to others,
who are candidates for immortality, but strangers to truth;
and for so doing, I pray that heaven's choicest blessings
may rest upon you.
* -X- vr # *
Let the Saints remember that great things depend on
their individual exertion, and that they are called to be
co-workers with the Holy Spirit in accomplishing the
great work of the last days; and in consideration of the
extent, the blessings and glories of the same, let every
selfish feeling be not only buried, but annihilated; and let
love to God and man predominate, and reign triumphant
in every mind, that their hearts may become like unto
Enoch's of old, and comprehend all things, present, past
and future, and come behind in no gift, waiting for the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The work in which we are unitedly engaged is one of
no ordinary kind. The enemies we have to contend
against are subtle and well skilled in manoeuvering; it
behooves us to be on the alert to concentrate our ener-
gies, and that the best feelings should exist in our midst;
and then, by the help of the Almighty, we shall go on
from victory to victory, and from conquest to conquest;
our evil passions will be subdued, our prejudices depart;
we shall find no room in our bosoms for hatred, vice will
hide its deformed head, and we shall stand approved in
the sight of heaven, and be acknowledged the sons of
God. '
Let us realize that we are not to live to ourselves, but
to God; by so doing the greatest blessings will rest upon
us, both in time and in eternity.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. OZo
And to the Saints scattered abroad the Prophet
wrote :
Beloved Brethren:
We address a few lines to the Church of Jesus
Christ, who have obeyed from the heart that form of doc-
trine which has been delivered to them by the servants of
the Lord, and who are desirous to go forward in the ways
of truth and righteousness, and by obedience to the heav-
enly command, escape the things which are coming on the
earth, and secure to themselves an inheritance among the
sanctified in the world to come.
* * * * . #
The work of the Lord in these last days is one of vast
magnitude and almost beyond the comprehension of mor-
tals. Its glories are past description, and its grandeur
unsurpassable. It is the theme which has animated the
bosom of prophets and righteous men from the creation of
this world down through every succeeding generation to
the present time; and it is truly the dispensation of the
fullness of times, when all things which are in Christ
Jesus, whether in heaven or on the earth, shall be gath-
ered together in Him, and when all things shall be re-
stored, as spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world
began; for in it will take place the fulfillment of the prom-
ises made to the fathers, while the displays of the Most
High will be great, glorious and sublime.
The purposes of our God are great. His love unfathom-
able, His wisdom infinite, and His power unlimited ; there-
fore the Saints have cause to rejoice and be glad,' knowing
that this God is our God forever and ever, and He will be
our Guide until death. Having confidence in the power,
wisdom and love of God, the Saints have been enabled
to go forward through the most adverse circumstances,
and frequently when, to all human appearance, nothing
but death presented itself, and destruction inevitable, has
the power of God been manifest, His glory revealed and
deliverance effected; and the Saints, like the children of
Israel, who came out of the land of Egypt and through
the Eed Sea, have sung an anthem of praise to His holy
name. This has not only been the case in former days,
but in our days, and within a few months have we seen
this fully verified.
324 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Having, through the kindness of our God been deliv-
ered from destruction, and secured a location upon which
we have again commenced operations for the good of His
people, we feel disposed to go forward and suit our ener-
gies for the up- building of the kingdom and establishing
the Priesthood in their fullness and glory. The work
which has to be accomplished in the last days is one of vast
importance and will call into action the energy, skill,
talent, and ability of the Saints, so that it may roll forth
with that glory and majesty described by the prophets,
and will consequently require the concentration of the
Saints, to accomplish works of such magnitude and gran-
deur.
The work of the gathering spoken of in the Scriptures
will be necessary to bring about the glories of the last dis-
pensation. It is probably unnecessary to press this sub-
ject on the Saints, as we believe the spirit of it is manifest,
and its necessity obvious to every considerate mind ; and
everyone zealous for the promotion of truth and right-
eousness is equally so for the gathering of the Saints.
Dear brethren, feeling desirous to carry out the pur-
poses of God to which we have been called, and to be
workers with Him in this last dispensation, we feel the
necessity of having the hearty co-operation of the Saints
throughout this land and upon the islands of the sea; and
it will be necessary for them to hearken to counsel and
turn their attention to the Church, the establishment of the
Kingdom, and lay aside every selfish principle, — every-
thing low and groveling.
During the remaining years of his life the subject of
missionary work was very near to the Prophet's heart.
He desired that all men might have the privilege of hear-
ing the truth. The gospel was proclaimed in many lands,
including the distant isles of the sea, during his lifetime;
and a plan was laid for the most comprehensive and un-
selfish system of proselyting since the day when Jesus
Christ said to His Apostles: u Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature."
CHAPTER XLVII.
*
NAUVOO THE BEAUTIFUL — EVENTS THERE DURING THE YEAR
1840 — RENEWAL OF OUTRAGES BY THE MISSOURIANS —
DEATH OF THE PROPHET'S FATHER AND EDWARD PAR-
TRIDGE — RETURN OF WILLIAMS AND PHELPS — JOSEPH'S
HOPE FOR HIS CITY — DEMAND BY GOVERNOR BOGGS FOR
THE PROPHET AND HIS BRETHREN.
A general conference was held at Nauvoo on the 6th day
of April, 1840, at which Joseph presided and gave much
instruction. Frederick Gr. Williams came before the con-
gregation and humbly asked forgiveness for his former
wrong-doing; he expressed a determination to do the will
of God, and the Church forgave him and received him into
fellowship.
Commerce was officially recognized as Nauvoo by the
post office department on the 21st day of April, 1840. It
was growing into the dignity of a town. In a year after
the first settlement of the Saints there, two hundred and
fifty houses had been built. The region was becoming
more healthful; and the Saints were achieving prosperity.
It is not the least of the miracles connected with this work
that the people have so often and so quickly risen from
the ashes of their homes.
On the 27th day of May, 1840, the faithful Bishop
Edward Partridge, the first Bishop in the Church, died at
Nauvoo, aged forty- six years.
Joseph bore this testimony concerning him:
He lost his life in consequence of the Missouri per-
secutions ; and is one of that number whose blood will be
required at the hands of his persecutors.
In June of this year, William W. Phelps made humble
326 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET
confession of his wrong-doing and begged the fellowship
of the Prophet and the Saints. This event and the return
of Frederick G. Williams were most gratifying to Joseph,
because Elders Williams and Phelps before their fall had
occupied a large place in his affections.
Through the season of 1840, many stakes were organ-
ized in different parts of the country.
On the 7th day of July, four brethren, James Allred,
Noah Rogers, Alanson Brown and Benjamin Boyce, were
kidnapped at Nauvoo by a large party of Missourians and
carried over the river. Before they were able to escape,
they were almost murdered. After much agony they got
loose from their chains and returned home. This event
showed that the mobocratic spirit was not dead. No ex-
cuse existed for the crime ; the men kidnapped were not
even accused of any offense by their captors. The bar-
barous deed was the precursor of a lai^ger movement. A
meeting was held immediately at Nauvoo to protest against
the renewal of such outrages, and to appeal to the execu-
tive of the state of Illinois for redress for this injury and
protection from further wrong.
On Monday, the 14th day of September, 1840, Joseph
Smith, Sen., Patriarch of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, and the father of the Prophet, died at
Nauvoo from the effect of exposure and privation during
the Missouri persecutions.
The Prophet says of him;
He was the first person who received my testimony
after I had seen the angel, and exhorted me to be faithful
and diligent to the message I had received. He was bap-
tized April 6th, 1830.
In August, 1830, in company with my brother Don
Carlos, he took a mission to St. Lawrence County, New
York, touching on his route at several of the Canadian
ports, where he distributed a few copies of the Book of
Mormon, visited his father, brothers and sister, residing
in St. Lawrence County, bore testimony to the truth, which
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 327
resulted eventually in all the family coming into the
Church, except his brother Jesse and sister Susan.
He removed with his family to Kirtland in 1831; was
ordained Patriarch and President of the High Priesthood,
under the hands of Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, Fred-
erick Gr. Williams and myself, on the 18th of December,
1833; was a member of the first high council, organized
on the 17th of February, 1834 (when he confirmed on me
and my brother Samuel H., a father's blessing).
In 1836 he traveled in company with his brother John
2,400 miles in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont
aud New Hampshire, visiting the branches of the Church
in those states, and bestowing patriarchal blessings on
several hundred persons, preaching the gospel to all who
would hear, and baptizing many. They arrived at Kirt-
land on the 2nd of October, 1836.
During the persecutions in Kirtland in 1837, he was
made a prisoner, but fortunately obtained his liberty, and
after a very tedious journey in the spring and summer of
1838, he arrived at Far West, Missouri.
After I and my brother Hyrum were thrown into the
Missouri jails by the mob, he fled from under the exter-
minating order of Governor Lilburn W. Boggs, and made
his escape in mid- winter to Quincy, Illinois, from whence
he removed to Commerce in the spring of 1839.
The exposures he suffered brought on consumption,
of which he died on this 14th day of September, 1840,
aged sixty- nine years, two months, and two days. He
was six feet, two inches high, was very straight, and re-
markably well proportioned. His ordinary weight was
about two hundred pounds, and he was very strong and
active. In his young days he was famed as a wrestler,
and, Jacob-like, he never wrestled with but one man whom
he could not throw. He was one of the most benevolent
of men, opening his house to all who were destitute.
While at Quincy, Illinois, he fed hundreds of the poor
Saints who were flying from the Missouri persecutions,
although he had arrived there penniless himself.
On the 3rd day of October, 1840, a conference was
held at Nauvoo at which it was decided to build a house
of the Lord in that city and that the Saints each give
every tenth day of labor to the erection of the holy edifice.
328 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
At the conference, an address from the Prophet and his
counselors was presented to the Church, in which brief ref-
erence is made to the changes within the two years then
just past. The communication says:
We feel rejoiced to meet the Saints at another General
Conference, and under circumstances as favorable as the
present. Since our settlement in Illinois we have for the
most part been treated with courtesy and respect, and a
feeling of kindness and of sympathy has generally been
manifested by all classes of the community, who, with us
deprecate the conduct of those men whose dark and
blackening deeds are stamped with everlasting infamy and
disgrace. The contrast between our past and present
situation is great. Two years ago mobs were threatening,
plundering, driving and murdering the Saints. Our burn-
ing houses enlightened the canopy of heaven. Our women
and children, houseless and destitute, had to wander from
place to place to seek a shelter from the rage of persecut-
ing foes. Now we enjoy peace, and can worship the God
of heaven and earth without molestation, and expect to be
able to go forward and accomplish the great and glorious
work to which we have been called.
Under these circumstances we feel to congratulate
the Saints of the Most High, on the happy and pleasing
change in our circumstances, condition and prospects, and
which those who shared in the perils and distresses, un-
doubtedly appreciate; while prayers and thanksgivings
daily ascend to that God who looked upon our distresses
and delivered us from danger and death, and whose hand
is over us for good.
The prophet saw a grand city of Nauvoo to rise in the
near future; and his vision and hope were fulfilled.
Ascending the upper Mississippi in the autumn, when
its waters were low, I was compelled to travel by land
past the region of the Rapids. * * * My eye wearied
to see everywhere sordid, vagabond and idle settlers, and
a country marred, without being improved, by their care-
less hands. I was descending the last hillside upon my
journey when a landscape in delightful contrast broke
upon my view. Half encircled by a bend of the river, a
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 329
beautiful city lay glittering in the fresh morning sun; its
bright, new dwellings, set in cool green gardens, ranging
up around a stately dome- shaped hill, which was covered
by a noble marble edifice, whose high tapering spire was
radiant with white and gold. The city appeared to cover
several miles; and beyond it, in the back-ground, there
rolled off a fair country, chequered by the careful lines of
fruitful husbandry. f lhe unmistakable marks of industry,
enterprise and educated wealth everywhere, made the
scene one of singular and most striking beauty.
This is what Colonel, afterwards Major- General,
Thomas L. Kane thought of Nauvoo when his eyes rested
upon it from a distance in 1846, only seven years after
the purchase by the Saints of the marshy ground upon
which the city stood. It partially shows how well the
Prophet and his fellow- laborers had been able to fulfill
his high hopes of the city's destiny. For the Prophet did
have a definite and exalted plan for Nauvoo. It was his
purpose, under the direction of the Almighty, to make
this a fit abiding place for the Saints of the Most High;
not only a place where they might receive spiritual guid-
ance, but a place where the arts and sciences might be
taught and where all the benefits of civilization might be
enjoyed. The Prophet understood the gospel which he
proclaimed — that it comprehended the material better-
ment of all mankind; and he aspired to establish in Nauvoo
such social conditions as would show the efficacy of gospel
teachings in the daily life of the community. He wanted
to demonstrate in Nauvoo to the gaze of all the world how
nearly perfect community life might become in a free re-
public, when all men were animated by the same motives
of pure religion and unselfish association; how much they
might be prospered and how easily they might be gov-
erned.
On the 16th day of December, 1840, the charter of
the city of Nauvoo, with charters of the Nauvoo Legion
and the University of the City of Nauvoo, were signed by
Governor Thomas Carlin, having previously passed both
330 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
houses of the Legislative Assembly of the state of Illinois.
Under the terms of these charters it would be possible for
the Prophet to demonstrate his social problem; but he
was not permitted to do it without molestation.
It had been held out to the world by shrewd observers
that all the charges made in the state of Missouri against
the Prophet and his companions were false and would not
bear fair judicial scrutiny; because, after the escape of
the brethren, they liv^d openly at Nauvoo and no effort
was made to secure them by the officers of the adjoining
state. It seemed very clear that the men who had mur-
dered and plundered the Saints did not want to have
their acts reviewed, even though the Prophet's liberty was
the price of their inaction. But they were taunted by
some of their prominent fellow-citizens with this fact, and
they decided to answer this disagreeable clamor by renew-
ing the persecutions against the Prophet. The old mob
element was determined to have vengeance for this logical
exposure of its unjust deeds.
On the 15th day of September, 1840, after a silence
of a year and a half, Governor Boggs of Missouri made a
demand upon Governor Carlinof Illinois for Joseph Smith,
Jr., Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Parley P. Pratt,
Caleb Baldwin and Alanson Brown, as fugitives from jus-
tice. Governor Carlin complied with the requisition by
issuing an order for the apprehension of these men. When
the officer went to serve the papers, the brethren were
away from home ; and, learning of the movement, they
determined to evade the process— not that they feared any
righteous inquiry into their conduct, but, having once es-
caped from Missouri murderers, they declined to give
themselves up again to be assassinated.
A leading article from the Quincy,Illinois, W lug of that
period — written by the editor, who was only an acquaint-
ance of the Prophet and not in affiliation with the Church
— presents the situation so clearly that it should be pre-
served for all time to come :
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 331
We repeat, Smith and Rigdon should not be given up.
The law requiring the governor of our state to deliver up
fugitives from justice is a salutary and a wise one, and
should not in ordinary circumstances be disregarded; but
as there are occasions when it is not only the privilege but
the duty of the governor of the state to refuse to surren-
der the citizens of his state upon the requisition of the ex-
ecutive of another, — and this we consider is the case of
Smith and Rigdon.
The law is made to secure the punishment of the
guilty, and not to sacrifice the innocent, and the governor
whose paramount duty it is to protect the citizens of his
state from lawless violence, whenever he knows that to
comply with such requisition he could be delivering the
citizens into the hands of a mob as a victim to appease the
thirst of the infuriate multitude for blood, without trial
and against justice: under such circumstances, we repeat,
the governor is bound by the highest of all human laws,
to refuse to comply with the requisition; and will Gov-
ernor Carlin pretend to say that the present is not a case
of this kind?
The history of the Mormon difficulties in Missouri,
is of too recent an origin not to be well known to the
governor. A few years since, when they had settled in
the Far West, and had gathered around them the com-
forts and conveniences of life, and were beginning to
reap the just reward of their industry and enterprise, a
mob attempted to drive them from their homes; as
peaceable citizens, enjoying all the rights guaranteed to
them by a republican Constitution, they had a right,
and did call on the governor of Missouri for protection.
Did he, in obedience to the oath which he had taken to
support the constitution of the state, i*espond to the call
as a governor should? No! and forever will a stain rest
upon the name of Lilburn W. Boggs, and the state of
Missouri. Mr. Boggs told the Mormons that they must
take care of themselves — in fact denying them the pro-
tection of the constitution under whose broad folds they
had taken shelter. Thus denied the protection of the
state, they prepared to defend their homes, wives and chil-
dren. Did Mr. Boggs, as the controversy proceeded, re-
main a neutral spectator, as his first intimation had given
the Mormons to understand? Oh, no! when the mob was
forced to fly for safety — like cowards as they were — then
332 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
this wise and oath-bound executive, called on the militia
of the state, to aid in expelling — or rather, to use one of
the expressions of Mr. Boggs — in ''exterminating" the
Mormons. Which is as much as to say, if the Mormons
cannot be driven from their homes, their possessions, and
all else that they hold dear, peaceably, why then, kill,
murder, burn, destroy, anything so the Mormons are "ex-
terminated" from the state! Most just, humane, wise,
and patriotic Governor Boggs !
Many of them were barbarously butchered, and all
shamefully unsettled and cruelly driven from their com-
fortable firesides at an inclement season of the year; those
who escaped secret murder, were inhumanly and savagely
treated, their females violated, and their property confis-
cated and plundered, by the barbarous vandals who were
persecuting them even unto death ! and to such men and
to such people, would Governor Carlin deliver up two of
our Mormon citizens for a sacrifice! We oppose this bar-
ter and trade in blood, upon higher grounds than the mere
forms of law upon which the Argus justifies the governor.
If we believe that Smith and Rigdon had been guilty of
criminal acts in Missouri, and could have a fair trial for
such acts, under the laws of that state, we should be
among the first to advocate the surrender of those gentle-
men. It is not the laws of Missouri, of which we com-
plain, it is of the officers who are appointed to execute
and carry out those laws. Their conduct must be forever
reprobated— it is a lasting disgrace to the state.
The Mormons have resided in our state since they
were driven out of Missouri — behaving as good citizens.
Smith and Rigdon in particular, have resided ever since
within the limits of our state, undoubtedly with the full
knowledge of the authorities of Missouri, but no demand
is made till the citizens of Missouri, pursuing them in their
new homes in this state, with the same disregard of law
that marked their previous conduct, a call is made upon
the governor of that state to deliver them over to our
authorities to be tried for violating our laws, then the very
vigilant governor of Missouri calls for the apprehension of
Smith and Rigdon!
It may be that Governors Carlin and Boggs had a pri-
vate understanding — that a cartel, an exchange of prison-
ers, may be agreed on between them. If it is so, the
governor is trifling with the lives of our citizens — with the
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 333
lives of those whom he is sworn to protect. Reason, jus-
tice and humanity, cry out against the proceeding.
We repeat, that compliance on the part of Governor
Carlin, would be to deliver them not to be tried for crime,
but to be punished without crime; and that under those
circumstances, they had a right to claim protection as citi-
zens of this state.
This was the beginning of a trouble which lasted dur-
ing the few remaining years of the Prophet's life. While
he was upon one hand building up Nauvoo into a beauti-
ful city and spreading abroad the glory of the gospel; upon
the other hand, he was himself harassed and driven day
and night by the relentless efforts of vindictive enemies
incited by bigotry which failed to comprehend the grandeur
of his work and the purity of his soul.
From this time on, though his labor was constantly
expanding, he himself w r as being hedged in. And as the
events of the remaining four years crowd each other with
lightning rapidity, this is the proper time to pause and
look at length upon his matured person and character, just
as he is about to rise to the zenith of his career and just
at the hour wiien all the forces of the adversary are being
united in a movement to drag him down and destroy
the cause entrusted to his care.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
JOSEPH SMITH AT NAUVOO — HIS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PER-
SONALITY — VIEWS OF HIS OPPONENT COMMENTATORS —
TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT TO HIS INSPIRATION.
When the Prophet first went to Commerce he was thirty-
three years old; and he was martyred in his thirty-ninth
year. Despite the outrages perpetrated upon him and the
privations which he had endured, he was during this period
still a man of great physical beauty and stateliness.
He was just six feet in height, standing in his stockings,
and was grandly proportioned. In his mature years he
weighed about two hundred pounds. His eyes were blue
and tender ;his hair was brown, plentiful and wavy ; he wore
no beard, and his complexion was one of transparency so
rare as to be remarkable; the exquisite clearness of his
skin was never clouded, his face being naturally almost
without hair. His carriage was erect and graceful ; he
moved always with an air of dignity and power which
strangers often called kingly. He was full of physical
energy and daring. Without any appearance of effort he
could perform astonishing feats of strength and agility,
and without any apparent thought of fear he met and
smiled upon every physical danger. From his boyhood
up he was fond of athletics, and in his mature years and
at the very zenith of his fame he loved to unbend and
wrestle or jump with a friend. The men who could con-
test with him were very few. He could stand and leap
over a bar higher than his head. When his situation
would permit he was as happy as a school boy to join in
manly sports.
He showed a sense of gentle humor in his games.
On one occasion two sectarian ministers had addressed
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 335
themselves to him with the boasted purpose of conquering
him in argument. His theological strength dumbfounded
them; he drove them from one position to another until
they were glad to cry for quarter. Then, as they were
about to depart with a crestfallen air, he said to them in
a tone of kindness :
Come, gentlemen, since you withdraw from the con-
test of logic, let us jump at a mark. I think I can beat
you at this.
The preachers hastened away, filled with indignation,
and spread all manner of ridiculous reports concerning
Joseph Smith because he could condescend at times to
run, or jump or wrestle like a boy. Probably their
defeat in argument had more than the professed shock to
their religious sensitiveness to do with their indignation.
He was always gentle and good-natured in his sports.
Several men are yet living who jumped or tried a fall with
the Prophet. They say Joseph did not lose dignity in
these sports. His rare physical beauty and grace and
his athletic excellence set him far above his fellows and
made his condescension seem kingly.
Nearly every one of his commentators, whether friend
or foe, speaks of him as a handsome man, of distin-
guished appearance and possessing a marvelous power of
fascination. By his opponents, the inspiration which
was over him and upon him — enveloping and permeating
him and radiating from his whole being — was attributed
to magnetism.
In every association with his fellow- beings he was
considerate and just. He was always willing to carry his
part of the burden and to share in any suffering or depri-
vation inflicted upon his friends. He was gentle to chil-
dren and universally won their love. Elder Lyman O.
Littlefield, now of Logan, Utah, was a boy thirteen years
old with the camp of Zion w 7 hich went up into Missouri.
336 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
He narrates an incident of that journey which is char-
acteristic of the Prophet's entire life, for his deeds and
words of thoughtf ulness were a constantly flowing stream.
As we recollect Elder Littlefield's statement, it was
this:
The journey was extremely toilsome for all, and the
physical suffering, coupled with the knowledge of the
persecutions endured by our brethren whom we were
traveling to succor, caused me to lapse one day into a
state of melancholy. As the camp was making ready to
depart I sat tired and brooding by the roadside. The
Prophet was the busiest man of the camp ; and yet when
he saw me, he turned from the great press of other duties
to say a word of comfort to a child. Placing his hand
upon my head, he said, "Is there no place for you, my
boy? If not, we must make one." This circumstance
made an impression upon my mind which long lapse of
time and the cares of riper years have not effaced.
Joseph always sought to help the distressed. A cry
of sorrow quickly touched his ear, and its appeal invari-
ably aroused him to helpful action.
When he had become educated and refined as gold in
the furnace by his communion with the Holy Spirit, his
words were heeded as if they were falling jewels. He never
had to beg for listeners ; nor had he to ask twice an audi-
ence with any one who had once met him. The great
men of the nation, with whom he came in contact, felt the
power of his mighty spirit. He was their peer as a phil-
osopher and k statesman. He was more, because he not
only knew the past, but he saw the future.
The judgment of a man's friends is always the best
judgment, especially when his character and career are
such as to excite the jealousy and enmity of the world.
But in the case of Joseph the Prophet, while none but his
friends could understand the full strength and beauty of
that God-like soul, there were not wanting plenty of non-
believers who recognize in him a man of amazing power.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 337
When a man is dead, he is usually judged by his works,
and few characters can bear the judgment of the world
pronounced during their lives by their opponents. Joseph
Smith was one of the few. In speaking of his opponents
we refer not to the sectarian bigots or to the mobocrats
and apostates ; but we refer to men of standing and repu-
tation, who were not so foolish as to speak falsely in
describing his attributes. We refer to men who recog-
nized in Joseph Smith a social factor and in his work a
social movement, even while they denied his inspiration
and its divinity.
A writer for the New York Herald had visited the
Prophet, and in 1842 that paper said:
Joseph Smith is undoubtedly one of the greatest
characters of the age. He indicates as much talent, orig-
inality and moral courage as Mahomet, Odin or any of the
great spirits that have hitherto produced the revolutions
of past ages. In the present infidel, irreligious, ideal, geo-
logy al, animal-magnetic age of the world, some such
singular prophet as Joseph Smith is required to preserve
the principle of faith, and to plant' some new germs of
civilization that may come to maturity in a thousand
years. While modern philosophy, which believes in noth-
ing but what you can touch, is overspreading the Atlantic
States, Joseph Smith is creating a spiritual system, com-
bined also with morals and industry, that may change
the destiny of the race. * * * We certainly want
some such prophet to start up, take a big hold of the
public mind — and stop the torrent of materialism that is
hurrying the world into infidelity, immorality, licentious-
ness and crime.
The Pittsburg American declared that Joseph Smith
could not be denied the attribute of greatness. A Cleve-
land paper responding said that he was without education
or genius, and that "he used to live near these 'dig-
gings.' " The Pittsburg Visitor then took up the argu-
ment, saying:
24
338 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
No man ivas ever a prophet near the edge of his own
diggings. * * * We know that principally
from a country which boasts its superior intelligence;
where ignorance is supposed to be banished, and every
man and woman taught to read and write ; he [Joseph
Smith] has built up a name, a temple and a city, conquer-
ing all opposition, and this both vindictive and powerful,
and so entirely unaided that he can exclaim like the proud
and haughty Roman, "Alone I did it!"
If he is advancing the cause of truth, he certainly has
claim to our sympathies and respect, as well for its discov-
ery as the bold and determined manner in which he has
maintained it. If it is a gross imposture, as you assert, he
must be both ingenious and cunning to gloss over its de-
formities and make them so attractive. We have nothing
to do with his doctrines — we only consider him the most
remarkable man among the "diggins."
Probably the most comprehensive view taken of the
Prophet by a man not intimate with him was that of Josiah
Quincy, who, in company with Hon. Charles Francis
Adams, the senior, visited Joseph Smith at Nauvoo on the
15th day of May, 18.44, just forty- three days before the
Prophet's martyrdom. Among many things descriptive of
Joseph, Quincy says:
It is by no means improbable that some future text-
book, for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a
question something like this : What historical American of
the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful in-
fluence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is
by no means impossible that the answer to that interroga-
tory may be thus written: Joseph Smith, the Mormon
Prophet. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to
most men now living, may be an obvious common-place
to their descendants. History deals in surprises and para-
doxes quite as startling as this. The man who estab-
lished a religion in this age of free debate, who was and
is today accepted by hundreds of thousands as a direct
emissary from the Most High — such a rare human being is
not to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory
JOSEPH THE PEOPHET. 339
epithets. Fanatic, impostor, charlatan, he may have
been ; but these hard names furnish no solution to the
problem he presents to us. Fanatics and impostors are
living and dying every day, and their memory is buried
with them; but the wonderful influence which this foun-
der of a religion exerted and still exerts throws him into
relief before us, not as a rogue to be criminated, but as a
phenomenon to be explained. The most vital questions
Americans are asking each other today have to do with this
man and what he has left us. A generation ' other than
mine must deal with these questions. Burning questions
they are, which must give a prominent place in the his-
tory of the country to that sturdy self-asserter whom I
visited at Nauvoo. Joseph Smith, claiming to be an
inspired teacher, faced adversity such as few men have
been called to meet, enjoyed a brief season of prosperity
such as few men have ever attained, and finally, forty-
three days after I saw him, went cheerfully to a martyr's
death. When he surrendered his person to Governor
Ford, in order to prevent the shedding of blood, the
Prophet had a presentiment of what was before him. "I
am going like a lamb to the slaughter," he is reported to
have said; "but I am as calm as a summer's morning. I
have a conscience void of offense, and shall die innocent."
I have no theory to advance respecting this extraordinary
man. I shall simply give the facts of my intercourse
with him. At some future time they may be found to
have some bearing upon the theories of others who are
more competent to make them. Ten closely written pages
of my journal describe my impressions of Nauvoo, and of
its Prophet, mayor, general and judge. * * * *
Pre-eminent among the stragglers by the door stood
a man of commanding appearance, clad in the costume of
a journeyman carpenter when about his work. He was a
hearty, athletic fellow, with blue eyes standing promin-
ently out upon his light complexion, a long nose, and a
retreating forehead. He wore striped pantaloons, a linen
jacket which had not lately seen the wash tub, and a
beard of some three days' growth. This was the founder
of the religion which had been preached in every quarter
of the earth.
A fine looking man is what the passer by would
instinctively have murmured upon meeting this remarkable
340 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
individual who had fashioned the mould which was to
shape the feelings of so many thousands of his fellow-
mortals. But Smith was more than th s, and one could
not resist the impression that capacity and resource were
natural to his stalwart person I have already mentioned
the resemblance he bore to Elisha R. Potter, of Rhode
Island, whom I met in Washington in 182 \ The likeness
was not such as would be recognized in a picture, but
rather one that would be felt in a grave emergency. Of
all men that I have met, these two seemed best endowed
with that kingly faculty which directs as by intrinsic right,
the feeble or confused souls who are looking for guid-
ance. This it is just to say with emphasis; for the reader
will find so much that is puerile and even shocking in
my report of the prophet's conversation that he might
never suspect the impression of rugged power that was
given by the man . * * * * #
"General Smith," said Dr. Goforth, when we had
adjourned to the green in front of the tavern, "I think
Mr. Quincy would like to hear you preach." "Then I
shall be happy to do so," was the obliging reply; and
mounting the broad step which led from the house, the
Prophet promptly addressed a sermon to the little group
about him. Our numbers were constantly increased from
the passers in the street, and a most attentive audience of
more than a hundred persons soon hung upon every word of
the speaker. The text was Mark 16: 15, and the com-
ments, though rambling and disconnected, were delivered
with the fluency and fervor of a camp-meeting orator.
The discourse was interrupted several times by the Meth-
odist minister before referred to, who thought it incumbent
upon him to question the soundness of certain theological
positions maintained by the speaker. One specimen of the
sparring which ensued I thought worth setting down. The
Prophet is asserting that baptism for the remission of sins
is essential for salvation. Minister: Stop! What do you
say to the case of the penitent thief? Prophet: What do
you mean by that? Minister: You know our Savior said
to the thief, "This day shalt thou be with me in Para-
dise," which shows he could not have been baptized be-
fore his admission. Prophet: How do you know he
wasn't baptized before he became a thief? At this retort
the sort of laugh that is provoked by an unexpected hit
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 341
ran through the audience ; but this demonstration of sym-
pathy was rebuked by a severe look from Smith, who
went on to say: But that is not the true answer. In the
original Greek, as this gentleman [turning to me] will
inform you, the word that has been translated paradise
means simply a place of departed spirits. To that place
the penitent thief was conveyed, and there, doubtless, he
received the baptism necessary for his admission to the
heavenly kingdom. The other objections of his antag-
onist were parried with a similar adroitness, and in about
fifteen minutes the Prophet concluded a sermon which it
was evident that his disciples had heard with the heartiest
satisfaction. ********
In the afternoon we drove to visit the farms upon the
prairie which this enterprising people had enclosed and
were cultivating with every appearance of success. On
returning we stopped in a beautiful grove where there
were seats and a platform for speaking. "When the
weather permits," said Smith, "we hold our services in
this place; but shall cease to do so when the temple is
finished." "I suppose none but Mormon preachers are
allowed in Nauvoo," said the Methodist minister, who
had accompanied our expedition. "On the contrary,"
replied the prophet, "I shall be very happy to have you
address my people next Sunday, and I will insure you a
most attentive congregation." "What! do you mean
that I may say anything I please, and that you will make no
reply?" "You may certainly say anything you please;
but I must reserve the right of: adding a word or two, if I
judge best. I promise to speak of you in the most re-
spectful manner." As we rode back, there was much dis-
pute between the minister and Smith. "Come," said the
latter, suddenly slapping his antagonist on the knee, to
emphasize the production of a triumphant text, "if you
can't argue better than that, you shall say all you want to
say to my people, and I will promise to hold my tongue,
for there's not a Mormon among them that will need my
assistance to answer you." Some backthrust was evi-
dently required to pay for this; and the minister, soon
after, having occasion to allude to some erroneous doc-
trine which I forgot, suddenly exclaimed, "Why, I told
my congregation the other Sunday that they might as
well believe Joe Smith as such theology as that." "Did
342 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
you say Joe Smith in a sermon?" inquired the person
to whom the title had been applied. "Of course I did.
Why not?" The Prophet's reply was given with a quiet
superiority that was overwhelming: "Considering only
the day and the place, it would have been more respectful
to have said Lieutenant-General Joseph Smith," Clear-
ly the worthy minister was no match for the head of the
Mormon Church.
I have quoted enough [from letters of converts] to
show what really good material Smith managed to draw
into his net. Were such fish to be caught with Spaul-
ding's tedious romance and a puerile fable of undecipher-
able gold plates and gigantic spectacles? Not these cheap
and wretched properties, but some mastering force of
the man who handled them, inspired the devoted mission-
aries who worked such wonders. The remaining letters
[picked up from Joseph's waste basket by Quincy] both
written a year previous to my visit, came from a certain
Chicago attorney, who seems to have been the personal
friend as well as the legal adviser of the Prophet. With
the legal advice come warnings of plots which enemies
are preparing, and of the probability that a seizure of his
person by secret ambush is contemplated. "They hate
you;" writes this friendly lawyer, "because they have
done evil unto you. * * * My advice to you is, not
to sleep in your own house, but to have some place to
sleep strongly guarded by your own friends, so that you
can resist any sudden attempt that might be made to kid-
nap you in the night. When the Missourians come on
this side and burn houses, depend upon it they will not
hesitate to make the attempt to carry you away by force.
Let me again caution you to be every moment upon your
guard." The man to whom this letter was addressed had
long been familiar with perils. For fourteen years he was
surrounded by vindictive enemies, who lost no opportu-
nity to harass him. He was in danger even when we saw
him at the summit of his prosperity, and he was soon to
seal his testimony — or, if you will, to expiate his imposture
— by death at the hands of dastardly assassins. If these
letters go little way toward interpreting the man, they
suggest that any hasty interpretation of him is inade-
quate. * * * * ' # # ##*
I asked him to test his [prophetic] powers by naming
the successful canditate in the approaching presidential
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 343
election. "Well, I will prophesy that John Tyler will not
be the next President, for some things are possible and
some things are probable; but Tyler's election is neither
the one nor the other." We then went on to talk of poli-
tics. Smith recognized the curse and iniquity of slavery,
though he opposed the methods of the Abolitionists. His
plan was for the nation to pay for the slaves from the sale
of the public lands. "Congress," he said, "should be
compelled to take this course, by petitions from all parts
of the country ; but the petitioners must disclaim all alli-
ance with those who would disturb the rights of property
recognized by the constitution and foment insurrection."
It may be worth while to remark that Smith's plan was
publicly advocated eleven years later, by one who has
mixed so much practical shrewdness with his lofty philo-
sophy. In 1855, when men's minds had been moved to
their depths on the question of slavery, Mr. Ralph Waldo
Emerson declared that it should be met in accordance
"with the interest of the South and with the settled con-
science of the North. It is not really a great task, a great
fight for this country to accomplish, to buy that property
of the planter, as the British nation bought the West In-
dian slaves," He further says that the "United States
will be brought to give every inch of their public lands for
a purpose like this." We who can look back upon the
terrible cost of the fratricidal war which put an end to
slavery, now say that such a solution of the difficulty
would have been worthy a Christian statesman. But if
the retired scholar was in advance of his time when he ad-
vocated this disposition of the public property in 1855,
what shall I say of the political and religious leader who
had committed himself, in print, as well as in conversa-
tion, to the same course in 1844? If the atmosphere of
men's opinions was stirred by such a proposition when
war-clouds were discernible in the sky, was it not a states-
manlike word eleven years earlier, when the heavens
looked tranquil and beneficent?
General Smith proceeded to unfold still further his
views upon politics. He denounced the Missouri Compro-
mise as an unjustifiable concession for the benefit of slav-
ery. It was Henry Clay's bid for the presidency. Dr.
Goforth might have spared himself the trouble of coming
to Nauvoo to electioneer for a duellist who would fire at
344 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
John Randolph, but was not brave enough to protect the
Saints in their rights as American citizens. Clay had told
his people to go to the wilds of Oregon and set up a gov-
ernment of their own. Oh yes, the Saints might go into
the wilderness and obtain justice of the Indians, which
imbecile, time-serving politicians would not give them in
a land of freedom and equality. The Prophet then talked
of the details of government. He thought that the number
of members admitted to the lower house of the National
Legislature should be reduced. A crowd only darkened
counsel and impeded business. A member to every half
million of population would be ample. The powers of the
President should be increased. He should have authority
to put down rebellion in a state, without waiting for the
request of any governor; for it might happen that the
governor himself would be the leader of the rebels. It is
needless to remark how later events showed the executive
weakness that Smith pointed out, — a weakness which cost
thousands of valuable lives and millions of treasure; but
the man mingled Utopian fallacies with his shrewd sug-
gestions. He talked as from a strong mind utterly unen-
lightened by the teachings of history. Finally, he told us
what he would do, were he President of the United States,
and went on to mention that he might one day so hold the
balance between parties as to render his election to that
office by no means unlikely. * *
Who can wonder that the chair of the National Exe-
cutive had its place among the visions of this self-reliant
man? He had already traversed the roughest part of the
way to that coveted position. Born in the lowest ranks
of poverty, without book-learning and with the homeliest
of all human names, he had made himself at the age of
thirty-nine a power upon earth. Of the multitudinous
family of Smith, from Adam down (Adam of the "Wealth
of Nations," I mean), none had so won human hearts
and shaped human lives as this Joseph. His influence,
whether for good or for evil, is potent to-day, and the end
is not yet.
I have endeavored to give the details of my visit to
the Mormon Prophet with absolute accuracy. If the reader
does not know just what to make of Joseph Smith, I can-
not help him out of the difficulty. I myself stand helpless
before the puzzle.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 345
A member of congress wrote to his wife after meeting
Joseph in Washington :
Everything he says is said in a manner to leave an
impression that he is sincere. There is no levity, no
fanaticism, no want of dignity in his deportment. He is
apparently from forty to forty- five years of age, rather
above the middle stature, and what the ladies would call
a very good-looking man. In his garb there are no pe-
culiarities, his dress being that of a plain, unpretending
citizen. He is by profession a farmer, but is evidently
well read. * * * Throughout his whole address he
displayed strongly a spirit of charity and forbearance.
The Masonic Grand Master, in the state of Illinois,
wrote of Joseph to the Advocate:
Having recently had occasion to visit the city of
Nauvoo I cannot permit the opportunity to pass without
expressing the agreeable disappointment that awaited me
there. I had supposed, from what I had previously
heard, that I should witness an impoverished, ignorant
and bigoted population, completely priest-ridden and
tyraunized over by Joseph Smith, the great Prophet of
these people.
On the contrary, to my surprise, I saw a people ap-
parently happy, prosperous and intelligent. Every man
appeared to be employed in some business or occupation.
I saw no idleness, no intemperance, no noise, no riot; all
appeared to be contented, with no desire to trouble them-
selves with anything except their own affairs. With the
religion of this people I have nothing to do; if they can
be satisfied with the doctrines of their new revelation,
they have a right to be so. The constitution of the coun-
try gua'antees to them the right of worshiping God ac-
cording to the dictates of their own conscience, and if they
can be so easily satisfied, why should we, who differ with
them, complain? * * * ■
During my stay of three days I became well acquainted
with their principal men, and more particularly with their
Prophet. I found them hospitable, polite, well-informed
and liberal. With Joseph Smith, the hospitality of whose
house I kindly received, I was well pleased. Of course,
346 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
on the subject of religion we widely differed, but he ap-
peared to be quite as willing to permit me to enjoy my
right of opinion as I think we all ought to be to let the
Mormons enjoy theirs. But instead of the ignorant and
tyrannical upstart, judge my surprise at finding him a
sensible, intelligent companion and gentlemanly man. In
frequent conversations with him he gave me every infor-
mation that I desired, and appeared to be only pleased at
being able to do so. He appears to be much respected by
all the people about him, and has their entire confidence.
He is a fine-looking man, about thirty- six years of age,
and has an interesting family.
An officer of the United States artillery who visited
Nauvoo in September, 1842, said:
The Smiths are not without talent, and are said to be
as brave as lions. Joseph, the chief, is a noble-looking
fellow, a Mahomet every inch of him. * * * The
city of Nauvoo contains about ten thousand souls, and is
rapidly increasing. It is well laid out, and the municipal
affairs appear to be well conducted. The adjoining coun-
try is a beautiful prairie. Who will say that the "Mor-
mon" Prophet is not among the great spirits of the age?
In 184 2 or 1843, a Methodist preacher by the name of
Prior visited Nauvoo and on the Sabbath day attended re-
ligious services for the purpose of hearing a sermon by
the Prophet. He published the following description of
Joseph's appearance and words:
I will not attempt to describe the various feelings of
my bosom as I took my seat in a conspicuous place in the
congregation, who were waiting in breathless silence for
his appearance. While he tarried, I had plenty of time
to revolve in my mind the character and common report
of that truly singular personage. I fancied that I should
behold a countenance sad and sorrowful, yet containing
the fiery marks of rage and exasperation. I supposed
that I should be enabled to discover in him some of those
thoughtful and reserved features, those mystic and sar-
castic glances, which I had fancied the ancient sages to
possess. I expected to see that fearful, faltering look of
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 347
conscious shame which, from what I had heard of him, he
might be expected to evince. He appeared at Jast; but
how was I disappointed when instead of the heads and
horns of the beast and false prophet, I beheld only the
appearance of a common man, of tolerably large propor-
tions. I was sadly disappointed, and thought that, al-
though his appearance could not be wrested to indicate
anything against him, yet he would manifest all I had
heard of him when he began to preach. I sat uneasily,
and watched him closely. He commenced preaching, not
from the Book of Mormon, however, but from the Bible;
the first chapter of the first of Peter was his text. He
commenced calmly, and continued dispassionately to pur-
sue his subject, while I sat in breathless silence, waiting
to hear that foul aspersion of the other sects, that dia-
bolical disposition of revenge, and to hear that rancorous
denunciation of every individual but a Mormon ; I waited
in vain; I listened with surprise; I sat uneasy in my seat,
and could hardly persuade myself but that he had been
apprised of my presence, and so ordered his discourse on
my account, that I might not be able to find fault with it;
for instead of a jumbled jargon of half- connected sen-
tences, and a volley of imprecations, and diabolical and
malignant denunciations, heaped upon the heads of all
who differed from him, and the dreadful twisting and
wresting of the Scriptures to suit his own peculiar views,
and attempt to weave a web of dark and mystic sophistry
around the gospel truths, which I had anticipated, he
glided along through a very interesting and elaborate dis-
course with all the care and happy facility of one who was
well aware of his important station, and his duty to God
and man.
In 1843, an English traveler wrote a letter which ap-
peared in most of the American newspapers concerning
a visit to Nauvoo. He first recites many of the awful
tales which he had heard concerning the Prophet and the
Saints, and describes the fears of his own life which were
entertained by his friends should he put himself in the
Prophet's power, evidently taking much credit to himself
for his "chivalric" and 4 'foolhardy' ' enterprise. But
when he reaches Nauvoo, he finds all his fears and ad-
348 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
venturous calculations dispelled; so he sits calmly down
to make a dispassionate review of the city and its founder.
A portion of his letter is as follows :
The city is of great dimensions, laid out in beautiful
order; the streets are wide, and cross each other at right
angles, which will add greatly to its order and magnifi-
cence when finished. The city rises on a gentle incline
from the rolling Mississippi, and as you stand near the
temple, you may gaze on the picturesque scenery around;
at your side is the temple, the wonder of the world;
round about, and beneath, you may behold handsome
stores, large mansions, and fine cottages, interspersed with
vaiied scenery; at the foot of the town rolls the noble
Mississippi, bearing upon its bosom the numerous sea-
ships which are conveying the Mormons from all parts of
the world to their home. I have seen them landed, and I
have beheld them welcomed to their homes with the tear
of joy and the gladdening smile, to share the embrace of
all around. I have heard them exclaim, How happy to
live here! how happy to die here! and then how happy to
rise here in the resurrection! It is their happiness; then
why disturb the Mormons so long as they are happy and
peaceable, and are willing to live so with all men? 1 would
say, "Let them live."
The inhabitants seem to be a wonderfully enterprising
people. The walls of the temple have been raised consid-
erably this summer; it is calculated, when finished, to be
the glory of Illinois. They are endeavoring to establish
manufactories in the city. They have enclosed large
farms on the prairie ground, on which they have raised
corn, wheat, hemp, etc.; and all this they have accom-
plished within the short space of four years. I do not be-
lieve that there is another people in existence who could
have made such improvements in the same length of time,
under the same circumstances. And here allow me to re-
mark, that there are some here who have lately emigrated
to this place, who * have built themselves large and con-
venient houses in the town ; others on their farms on the
prairie, who, if they had remained at home, might have
continued to live in rented houses all their days, and never
once have entertained the idea of building one for them-
selves at their own expense.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 349
Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, is a singular
character; he lives at the "Nauvoo Mansion House,"
which is, I understand, intended to become a home for
the stranger and traveler; and I think, from my own per-
sonal observation, that it will be deserving of the name.
The Prophet is a kind, cheerful, sociable companion. I
believe that he has the good-will of the community at
large, and that he is ever ready to stand by and defend
them in any extremity ; and as I saw the Prophet and his
brother Hyrum conversing together one day, I thought I
beheld two of the greatest men of the nineteenth century. I
have witnessed the Mormons in their assemblies on a Sun-
day, and I know not where a similar scene could be ef-
fected or produced. With respect to the teachings of the
Prophet, I must say that there are some things hard to be
understood; but he invariably supports himself from our
good old Bible. Peace and harmony reign in the city.
The drunkard is scarcely ever seen, as in other cities,
neither does the awful imprecation or profane oath strike
upon your ear; but, while all is storm, and tempest, and
confusion abroad respecting the Mormons, all is peace and
harmony at home.
In June, 1851, a work appeared entitled "The Mor-
mons"published by a journalist connected with the Morn-
ing Chronicle, London, England. The author had made
some close personal researches into the question, and the
volume was the candid expression of his matured views.
Being skeptical, and having little sympathy for a religious
movement of this character, naturally his conclusions were
colored by his prejudices. But he says:
Joseph Smith was indeed a remarkable man: and, in
summing up his character, it is extremely difficult to de-
cide, whether he were indeed the vulgar impostor which it
has been the fashion to consider him, or whether he were
a sincere fanatic who believed what he taught. But wl ether
an impostor, who, for the purposes of his ambition, con-
cocted the fraud of the Book of Mormon, or a fanatic who
believed and promulgated a fraud originally concocted by
some other person, it must be admitted that he displayed
no little zeal and courage; that his tact was great, that his
350 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
talents for governing men were of no mean order, and
that, however glaring his deficiencies in early life may
have been, he manifested, as he grew older, an ability
both as an orator and a writer, which showed that he
possessed strong natural gifts, only requiring cultivation
to have raised him to a high reputation among better
educated men. There are many incidents in his life
which favor the supposition that he was guilty of a de-
liberate fraud in pretending to have revelations from
heaven, and in palming off upon the world his new Bible:
but, at the same time, there is much in his later career
which seems to prove that he really believed what he as-
serted—that he imagined himself to be in reality what
he pretended — the chosen medium to convey a new gospel
to the world — the inspired of heaven, the dreamer of
divine dreams, and the companion of angels. If he were
an impostor, deliberately and coolly inventing, and per-
tinaciouly propagating a falsehood, there is this much to
be said, that never was an impostor more cruelly punished
than he was, from the first moment of his appearance as
a prophet to the last. Joseph Smith, in consequence of
his pretensions to be a seer and prophet of God, lived a
life of continual misery and persecution. He endured
every kind of hardship, contumely and suffering. He was
derided, assaulted and imprisoned. His life was one long
scene of peril and distress, scarcely brightened by the
brief beam of comparative lepose which he enjoyed in
his own city of Nauvoo. In the contempt showered upon
his head his whole family shared. Father and mother,
and brothers, wife and friends, were alike involved in the
ignominy of his pretensions, and the sufferings that re-
sulted. He lived for fourteen years amid vindictive ene-
mies, who never missed an opportunity to vilify, to harass,
and to destroy him; and he died at last an untimely and
miserable death, involving in his fate a brother to whom
he was tenderly attached. If anything can tend to encour-
age the supposition that Joseph Smith teas a sincere enthu-
siast maddened with religious frenzies, as many have been
before and will be after him — and that he had strong and
invincible faith in his own high pretensions and divine mis-
sion, it is the notability that unless supported by such feel-
ings, he would have renounced the unprofitable and ungrate-
ful task, and sought refuge from persecution and misery in
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 351
private life and honorable industry. But whether knave
or lunatic, whether a liar or a true man, it cannot he
denied that he teas one of the most extraordinary persons of
his time, a man of rude genius, ivho accomplished a much
greater ivork than he Jcneiv; and whose name, whatever he
may have been ivhilst living, will take its 'place among the
notabilities of the world.
A writer in Chamber's Encyclopaedia speaking of the
Prophet says .
From his early years he was regarded as a visionary
and a fanatic ; a fact which is of the utmost importance
as affording a clue to his real character, and an explana-
tion of that otherwise unaccountable tenacity of purpose
and moral heroism displayed in the midst of fiercest per-
secution. A mere impostor * * would have
broken down under such a tempest of opposition and hate
as Smith's preaching excited.
The foregoing opinions quoted from the Prophet's con-
temporaries and observers — his opponents, candid though
they were — are as favorable as could be looked for in a
skeptical, materialistic age. They prove all that can be
asserted of the Prophet by his believers, except the
essential feature of his inspiration. This could not be
testified to by any except a believer. His reviewers,
whom we have quoted, judge entirely from external evi-
dence. They saw the phenomenon presented by his life
and work, and recorded it; excluding entirely from their
consideration of his character and deeds all thought of
the superhuman. And yet such candid judgment of these
men is worthy of preservation ; it reinforces to the world
the idea expressed of him by those who accepted the faith
which he taught. If some of these opposing writers
could have known him as intimately as his brethren knew
him, the same sincerity which prompted their favorable
testimony concerning his remarkable character must have
compelled them to speak of those finer qualities which
endeared him to the Saints. The Prophet was only a man;
352 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
but he was a good man, an inspired man, a better man
than he could have been without the inspiration of his
master, Christ. In all his actions he was fearless as an
angel of light. Not in all that has ever been written or
said of him by friend or foe is there one word to impugn
the magnificent physical bravery and moral courage of
Joseph Smith. Withal he was as meek and gentle as a little
child. Disciplined by the Spirit of God, which was his
constant monitor, he put away from him alike the fear
of men and the ambitions of the world. These were
things which a remote or casual observer would not be
likely to discover.
It cannot be expected that any non-believer will testify
to the prophetic power of Joseph Smith. To admit it is
to believe. And yet this power, too, can be proved by
external evidence. Of his predictions not one word has
failed. His inspiration may also be proved by external
evidence. It is now admitted by every student of his
life and work that the Book of Mormon came from or
through him. This work could not have been origin-
ated by any man in the nineteenth century.
But the best evidence of the divine inspiration which
had descended upon him is not external. It is like faith
in Christ. It is the whisper of the Spirit. During Joseph
Smith's lifetime many thousands of people bore solemn
testimony that they knew he was a Prophet of God. Since
his death many more thousands have declared the same
knowledge. Such proof may be insufficient for the world,
but it is enough for the Saints. The world says that men
who knew him were deceived by his personal magnetism.
But what shall be said of men who believe and yet never
saw him? Very few of the Latter-day Saints living today
ever met the Prophet. Magnetism has a limited circle
and a limited duration. Inspiration is infinite and eternal.
The men who never saw Jesus Christ believe on Him
because the Holy Spirit inspires belief; the men who
never saw Joseph Smith believe in him because the Holy
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 353
Spirit inspires belief. The Jews were witnesses to the
miracles of our Savior. Their great historian Josephus
says:
Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if
it be lawful to call him a man: for he tvas a doer of ivon-
derful ivorks, a teacher of such men as received the truth
with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the
Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ. And when
Pilate at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us,
condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the
first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive
again the third day; as the divine prophets had fore-
told these and ten thousand other wonderful things con-
cerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from
him, are not extinct at this day.
But Josephus remained a Jew, and very few of his
race accepted the Redeemer, despite their knowledge
of His works; they had only the external testimony
which is insufficient, they hardened their hearts
against the internal testimony which is all-convin-
cing. Josephus' testimony of Jesus Christ is no
stronger considering the time in which he lived, than is
the testimony of some of Joseph Smith's unbelieving
commentators, considering the age in which they lived.
If Christians were dependent today solely upon the history
of Christ's work, their faith might be insecure; but they
have that testimony of the Spirit which gives to the sincere
seeker after truth a conviction so firm as to be unassail-
able by all the power of Satan. It is this same Spirit
which convinces the Saints of latter days that as truly as
Christ lived, God's only begotten Son, as truly as He
performed a divine mission upon earth, as truly as He
died upon Calvary a martyr to redeem a fallen world;
just so truly was Joseph Smith ordained and inspired of
God to reveal his truths and lead men back out of the
darkness of ages, into communion with the heavens. The
physical strength and the mental power of: an unbelieving
world may be arrayed against the followers of this Prophet
25
354 JOSEPH THE PBOPHET.
of latter-days; as these same powers were arrayed against
the early Christians. But prisons and crosses and swords
and bullets cannot undo a fact. They may operate upon
the fears of men and they may induce recantation; but
they cannot destroy absolute knowledge.
As the years pass away the recognition of Joseph
Smith's wonderful career grows more widespread. The
day is near, even if it has not already come, when the
world of thinking but unbelieving men must accept him
as a marvel. They confess the mystery of his power and
the unaccountable grandeur of his deeds, even while they
dispute all claim to inspiration. They say he "was a doer
of wonderful works. 7 ' They confess their special amaze
that an unlearned farmer lad, dwelling in the backwoods
in the early part of this century, should have conceived of
his own mind, a system of theology and a purpose of
church organization, a plan of social redemption, so vast,
so extraordinary; and that he should have held to his
work with such heroic tenacity, through all the ills of life
and unto the final scene of martyrdom. No words of a
believer can of themselves convince an unbeliever. There
is but one power of demonstration, and that is to seek by
humble prayer for the voice of the Holy Spirit. So surely
as man prays in faith and meekness, so surely will the
answer come. This answer is the testimony of Jesus
Christ; it is the testimony to His servant Joseph Smith.
The world will not put this to the test. Only here
and there an honest, humble soul, struggling to the light
will bow before the eternal throne and make sincere peti-
tion for guidance.
By this testimony will the age be judged. We declare
unto all to whom these words shall come that Joseph
Smith was a Prophet of God. Flesh and blood have not
revealed it unto us, but our Father which is in heaven;
and this holy revelation is the gift, exclusively, to no man
and no class of men. It is free to all who will seek for it
in obedience and sincere humility.
CHAPTER XLIX.
DR. J. C. BENNETT JOINS THE CHURCH — NAUVOO CITY CHART-
ERED— NAUVOO UNIVERSITY AND LEGION ORGANIZED —
JOSEPH SMITH COMMISSIONED AS LIEUTENANT-GENERAL
OF THE STATE MILITIA — TEMPLE SITE — DEDICATION OF
THE TEMPLE — AN IMPORTANT CONFERENCE.
With the establishment of Nauvoo as a city Dr. John C.
Bennett came iuto prominent association with the Church.
He was quarter-master general of the state of Illinois, and
a man of extensive acquirements and many ambitions.
At the time of the Prophet's imprisonment in Missouri he
had offered his services to secure Joseph's release, by
force, if necessary, but the tender was not accepted. His
expressed sympathy was no doubt sincere. He saw the
sufferings of the people and was drawn toward them. He
saw the grandeur of the Prophet's character and was
attracted by it. When the people moved into Illinois, he
made a closer examination of their faith, and accepted it.
No doubt he was still sincere at this time ; and if he had
been willing to heed the Prophet's warning and to be
humble and pure, he might have been a blessing to the
Church for many years, and might have lived and died a
happy man, with a full assurance of eternal salvation.
On Sunday, the 24th day of January, 1841, Hyrum
Smith received the office of patriarch in the Church, to
succeed his deceased father; he was also by revelation
sustained as a prophet and revelator to the Church. The
vacancy in the quorum of the First Presidency, thus
occasioned, was filled by the selection of William Law to
be second counselor to Joseph.
On the 30th day of January a special conference was
356 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
held at Nauvoo at which Joseph was elected sole trustee-
in-trust for the Church, to hold the office during his life,
his successor to be of the First Presidency of the Church.
This action was taken in pursuance of the provisions of an
act of the Illinois Legislature concerning religious societies.
The charter of the city of Nauvoo was devised by
Joseph, as he says "on principles so broad that any
honest man might dwell secure under its protective in-
fluence without distinction of sect or party." It was com-
prehensive, and in some respects unusual, but its pro-
visions were purely republican and the end designed by
its framer was insured. It was signed by Thomas Carlin,
governor, and was certified by Stephen A. Douglas, secre-
tary of state.
On the 1st day of February, 1841, the charter for the
city of Nauvoo took effect. On the same day an election
was held for mayor and members of the city council. John
C. Bennett . was elected mayor; with William Marks,
Samuel H. Smith, Daniel H. Wells and Newel K.Whitney
for aldermen; and Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney
Rigdon, Charles C. Rich, John T. Barnett, Wilson Law,
Don Carlos Smith, John P. Greene and Vinson Knight
for councilors.
The twenty-fourth section of the charter of the city
of Nauvoo was as follows:
The city council may establish and organize an in-
stitution of learning within the limits of the city, for the
teachings of the arts, sciences and learned professions, to
be called the "University of the City of Nauvoo," which
institution shall be under the control and management of a
Board of Trustees, consisting of a Chancellor, Registrar
and twenty- three Regents, which Board shall thereafter
be a body corporate and politic, with perpetual successors
by the name of the "Chancellor and Regents of the Uni-
versity of the City of Nauvoo," and shall have full power
to pass, ordain, establish and execute all such laws and
ordinances as they may consider necessary for the welfare
and prosperity of said University, its officers and students;
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 357
provided that the said laws and ordinances shall not be
repugnant to the constitution of the United States, or of
this state; and provided, also, that the Trustees shall at
all times be appointed by the city council, and shall have
all the powers and privileges for the advancement of the
cause of education which appertain to the Trustees of any
other college or university of this state.
In pursuance of this provision, at the first meeting of
the city council Joseph Smith presented an ordinance
organizing the university and appointed a board of trustees.
The purpose of this institution of learning was to give the
Saints and all others who loved learning an opportunity
to gain a knowledge of the arts and sciences; for Joseph
was ever desirous to bring his brethren and friends into
close acquaintance with all that was best in the experience
of the world. One of the trustees of the university was
Daniel H. Wells, who also had been elected an alderman
of the city. He was not then a member of the Church,
but he was a young man of such manifest fairness and in-
tegrity that the Prophet was glad of his assistance.
The twenty-fifth section of the city charter was as
follows :
The city council may organize the inhabitants of said
city, subject to military duty, into a body of independent
military men, to be called the "Nauvoo Legion," the
court martial of which shall be composed of the commis-
sioned officers of said legion, and constitute the law-mak-
ing department, with full powers and authority to make,
ordain, establish and execute all such laws and ordinances
as may be considered necessary for the benefit, govern-
ment and regulation of said Legion ; provided said court
martial shall pass no law or act, repugnant to, or incon-
sistent with, the constitution of the United States, or of
this state ; and provided also that the officers of the Legion
shall be commissioned by the governor of the state. The
said Legion shall perform the same amount of military
duty as is now or may be hereafter required of the regular
militia of the state, and shall be at the disposal of the
mayor in executing the laws and ordinances of the city
358 JOSEPH THE PROPHET
corporation, and the laws of the state, and at the disposal
of the governor for the public defense, and the execution
of the laws of the state or of the United States, and shall
be entitled to their proportion of the public arms; and
provided also, that said Legion shall be exempt from all
other military duty.
In pursuance of the provisions of the charter the
Nauvoo Legion was organized on the 4th day of February,
1841. Subsequently citizens of Hancock County enrolled
themselves in the Legion, and at the election Joseph
Smith was chosen as Lieutenant-General and John C.
Bennett Major-General, with Wilson Law and Don Carlos
Smith as Brigadier-Generals of the two cohorts of the
Legion.
Speaking of the University and the Legion in a letter
written at this time, the Prophet describes their purpose
in these words :
The "Nauvoo Legion" embraces all our military
power, and will enable us to perform our military duty by
ourselves, and thus afford us the power and privilege of
avoiding one of the most fruitful sources of strife, oppres-
sion and collision with the world. It will enable us to
show our attachment to the state and nation, as a people,
whenever the public service requires our aid, thus proving
ourselves obedient to the paramount laws of the land, and
ready at all times to sustain anl execute them.
The "University of the City of Nauvoo" will enable
us to teach our children wisdom, to instruct them in all
knowledge and learning, in the arts, sciences and learned
professions. We hope to make this institution one of the
great lights of the world, and by and through it to diffuse
that kind of: knowledge which will be of practical utility,
and for the public good, and also for private and indi-
vidual happiness. The Eegents of the University will
take the general supervision of all matters appertaining
to education, from common schools up to the highest
branches of a most liberal collegiate course. They will
establish a regular system of education, and hand over
the pupil from teacher to professor, until the regular gra-
dation is consummated and the education finished.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. o59
At a session of the city council held on the 8th day of
February, 1841, Joseph reported a bill for an ordinance
to prohibit the sale of liquor at retail, which was subse-
quently passed and put into effect under the title "An
ordinance in relation to temperance." The purpose of
this measure was to prevent dram drinking, and the event
proved that it was wisely and safely drawn, for Nauvoo,
under the strict enforcement of this provision, was able to
get rid of the low and the depraved. In the dismission of
the bill the Prophet spoke at some length on the use of
liquors, showing that they operated as a poison upon the
system and demonstrating that even in medicine other and
harmless things might take their place.
The part taken by Joseph Smith indicates his willing-
ness to join in any practical labor for the advancement of
his fellow-men and for the welfare of his country. He
consented to act as a member of the city council because
he desired to assist in the promotion of a wholesome
municipal government. His inspiration was not entirely
among the clouds. It prompted him to those practical
works without which no community can hope to achieve
happiness and prosperity. He became a trustee of the
University because no man of his time loved knowledge
more than he, and he wished to assist the institution to
present the wisdom of past and present times to the rising
generation. He consented to act as Lieutenant- General
of the Nauvoo Legion — not that he loved military powers
or expected to go to war, but that he recognized the duty
of every citizen to be prepared to give his arm to his
country's service. His conduct in this respect is a re-
minder that, notwithstanding his divine appointment, he
held himself amenable to every law and every regulation
of his country.
On the 1st day of March Councilor Joseph Smith pre-
sented bills for ordinances providing for the freedom of
all religious sects and denominations, and the freedom of
all peaceable public meetings within the city of Nauvoo.
3(J0 JOSEPH THE P1I0PHET.
The ordinances were passed in accordance with the pro-
visions of his bills. His purpose was not to secure free-
dom for the Saints within the municipality: for this was
made certain by their numerical preponderance and by
the fact that nearly all the officials were of their number.
But it was always Joseph's plan to encourage further dis-
cussion and consideration of religious matters, and he de-
sired that no insult or injury should be offered by any of
the people of Nauvoo to any minister, or to any other per-
son who might desire to present views not in accordance
with the opinions of the majority. He himself and his as-
sociates had suffered so much at the hands of a bigoted
majority in the past that he determined to prevent any
such offense against justice and against heaven, by the
citizens of Nauvoo.
On the 10th day of March, Governor Thomas Carlin
issued a commission to Joseph Smith as "Lieutenant-
General, Nauvoo Legion, of the militia of the state of
Illinois."
The spiritual welfare of the people was never neglected
by him, and during .this busy period he was still able to
impart religious instruction from time to time as the needs
of the people made such instruction necessary. A revela-
tion was received on the 19th day of January, 1811, con-
cerning the building of the Nauvoo temple and the order
and authority of the Priesthood ; also making proclamation
to all the world to give heed to the light and glory of Zion.
In March of the same year the Saints were commanded
by revelation to build a city in Iowa, across the river from
Nauvoo, to be called Zarahemla.
The building of the Nauvoo house was directed by
revelation that it should be an abiding place for the
weary traveler who might seek health and safety and the
opportunity to contemplate the word of the Lord. The
Prophet and his brethren went forward to fulfill this com-
mandment.
The site selected for a Temple at Nauvoo was most
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 361
beautiful for situation. The city of Nauvoo was partly
built on a level plain and on a noble hill which rose
boldly to a height which gave from its summit a command-
ing view of the surrounding country. The site of the
temple was at the summit and in the foreground of this hill.
The Mississippi river swept in a half-circle around the
lower level of the city, and a number of the north and
south terminations of the streets in that part were on the
river. The temple could be seen from up and down the river
for many miles, and was the most conspicuous building
in all that region. The view from its roof and tower was
very grand — embracing an extensive view of the river
and a wide stretch of forest and improved lands on both
the Illinois and Iowa sides of the ''Father of Waters."
On the 6th day of April, 1841, the first day of the
twelfth year of the existence of the Church of Jesus Christ
in this last dispensation, a general conference was con-
vened in the city of Nauvoo. At the same time confer-
ences were being held in England under the direction of
Brigham Young and the other Apostles, nine of that quo-
rum being in that land and at Philadelphia under the
direction of Hyrum Smith.
At Nauvoo the first step was to lay the corner stone
of the temple as directed by revelation from the Lord. On
the morning of the 6th a vast procession was formed, iwhich
proceeded to the grounds selected for a site. A hollow
square of people was formed around the spot, and the
officers of the Nauvoo Legion, with the architect of the
building, the speakers and others, were conducted to the
stand at the principal corner stone — the south-east. After
an address by Sidney Rigdon, followed by hymns and
prayer, the architect, by direction of the Prophet, low-
ered the south-east corner stone to its place, and Joseph
Smith pronounced the benediction, saying:
The principal corner stone, in representation of the
First Presidency, is now duly laid in honor of the great
God; and may it there remain until the whole fabric is
362 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
completed; and may the same be accomplished speedily;
that the Saints may have a place to worship God, and the
Son of Man have where to lay His head.
After an adjournment tor one hour, the people again
assembled, and the south-west corner stone was laid by
direction of Don Carlos Smith and his counselors, presid-
ing over the High Priesthood. The north-west corner
stone was laid under the direction of the high council ; and
the north-east corner stone was put in place under the
direction of Bishop Newel K. Whitney and other officers
of the Aaronic Priesthood. As each stone was placed in
its position a prayer was offered, and blessings were in-
voked upon it by the Priesthood of the quorum officiat-
ing.
This occasion was a time of much rejoicing for
Joseph and the Saints. After all their sufferings from
mobocracy they had at last reached a place where they
could rest for a season and commence the erection of a
house of the Lord. The Lord had a great endowment in
store for His Saints. A suitable house was necessary in
which to bestow this endowment — a place where the holy
ordinances of the gospel could be administered. The
foundation stones were now laid, and many and fervent
were the prayers which were offered up that the Saints
might be permitted to complete it. Joseph was eager to
push the work ahead. The people were sick and poor,
and it seemed like a very heavy undertaking for so few
people as there were there to attempt the erection of such
a house. But God had commanded, and they stepped
forth cheerfully to obey.
Joseph, in alluding to the proper manner of laying
the foundation stones of temples, said:
If the strict order of the Priesthood were carried out
in the building of temples, the first stone would be laid at
the south-east corner by the First Presidency of the
Church. The south-west corner should be laid next. The
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 363
third or north- west corner next; and the fourth or north-
east corner last. The First Presidency should lay the
south-east corner stone, and dictate who are the proper
persons to lay the other corner stones. If a temple is
built at a distance, and the First Presidency are not pres-
ent, then the quorum of the Twelve Apostles are the per-
sons to dictate an order for that temple; and in the
absence of the Twelve Apostles, then the Presidency of
the Stake will lay the south-east corner stone, the Mel-
chisedec Priesthood laying the corner stones on the east
side of the temple, and the lesser Priesthood those on the
west side.
At a later time President Young explained concerning
the laying of the corner stones of the Salt Lake temple :
The First Presidency, who are Apostles, started on
the south-east corner; then the second Priesthood laid
the second stone ; we bring them into our ranks at the
third stone, which the High Priests and Elders laid;
we take them under our wing to the north-east corner
stone which the Twelve and the Seventies laid ; and there
again joined the Apostleship. It circumscribes every
other Priesthood, for it is the Priesthood of Melchisedec,
which is after the order of the Son of God.
The conference at Nauvoo continued five days, and
the time was a happy one for the Saints. In an address
to the people on the second day, the Prophet said:
The Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-
ter-day Saints feel great pleasure in assembling with the
Saints at another general conference, under circumstances
so auspicious and cheering; and with grateful hearts to
Almighty God for His providential regard, they cordially
unite with the Saints, on this occasion in ascribing honor,
glory and blessing to His holy name.
It is with unfeigned pleasure that they have to make
known the steady and rapid increase of the Church in this
state, the United States and Europe. The anxiety to
become acquainted with the principles of the gospel, on
every hand, is intense, and the cry of "Come over and
help us" is reaching the Elders on the wings of every
364 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
wind; while thousauds who have heard the gospel have
become obedient thereto, and are rejoicing in its gifts and
blessings. Prejudice, with its attendant train of evils, is
giving way before the force of truth, whose benign rays
are penetrating the nations afar off.
The reports from the Twelve Apostles in Europe are
very satisfactory, and state that the work continues to pro-
gress with unparalleled rapidity, and that the harvest is
truly great.
In the eastern states the faithful laborers are success-
ful, and many are flocking to the standard of truth. Nor
is the south keeping back. Churches have been raised
up in the southern and western states, and a very press-
ing invitation has been received from New Orleans for
some of the Elders to visit that city, which has been com-
plied with. In our own state and immediate neighbor-
hood, many are avowing their attachment to the princi-
ples of our holy religion, aud have become obedient to the
faith.
Peace and prosperity attend us, and we have favor in
the sight of Grod and virtuous men. The time was when
we were looked upon as deceivers, and that Mormonism
would soon pass away, come to nought and be forgotten.
But the time has gone by when it was looked upon as a
transient matter, or a bubble on the wave, and it is now
taking a deep hold in the hearts and affections of all those
who are noble-minded enough to lay aside the prejudice
of education and investigate the subject with candor and
honesty. The truth, like the sturdy oak, has stood unhurt
amid the contending elements which have beat upon it
with tremendous force. The floods have rolled, wave
after wave, in quick succession, and have not swallowed
it up. "They have lifted up their voice, O Lord, the
floods have lifted up their voice ; but the Lord of Hosts is
mightier than the mighy waves of the sea," nor have
the flames of persecution, with all the influence of mobs,
been able to destroy it; but, like Moses' bush, it has stood
unconsumed, and now at this moment presents an impor-
tant spectacle both to men and angels. Where can we
turn our eyes to behold such another? We contemplate
a people who have embraced a system of religion, unpop-
ular, and the adherence to which has brought upon them
repeated persecutions. A people who, for their love to
JOSEPH THE PEOPHET. 365
God and attachment to His cause, have suffered hunger,
nakedness, perils, and almost every privation. A people
who, for the sake of their religion, have had to mourn
the premature deaths of parents, husbands, wives and
children. A people who have preferred death to slavery
and hypocrisy, and have honorably maintained their
characters and stood firm and immovable in times that
have tried men's souls. Stand fast, ye Saints of God,
hold on a little longer, and the storm of life will be past,
and you will be rewarded by that God whose servants you
are, and who will duly appreciate all your toils and afflic-
tions for Christ's sake and the gospel's. Your names will
be handed down to posterity as Saints of God and virtuous
men.
On the third day of the conference, the Prophet stated
to the assembled Saints that the presidents of the different
quorums would be presented before them for their accept-
ance or rejection. He declared the rule of acceptance or
rejection to be by a majority in each quorum; and he ex-
horted them to deliberation, faith and prayer, that they
might be strict and impartial in their examinations. Ob-
jection was made to Elder John E. Page, one of the Twelve
Apostles, and his case was laid over to be tried before his
quorum. Elder Page had been called to accompany
Apostle Orson Hyde upon his mission to Jerusalem, but
had felt the sacrifice demanded was too great for him, and
had delayed until this time.
On this same day Lyman Wight was chosen as an
Apostle to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of
Elder David W. Patten.
About the 1st of May, 1841, Joseph received a visit
atNauvoo from Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, of the Supreme
Court of the State of Illinois. On this occasion Douglas
was accompanied by his political opponent Cyrus Walker,
Esq. "The Little Giant" had not yet entered upon the
greatness of his career in politics ; but the Prophet recog-
nized in him a master spirit among men. Douglas him-
self was so deeply impressed by the grandeur of the
366 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Prophet's character that he sought him out with defer-
ence.
On the 24th of May, the Prophet directed a call to all
the Saints to gather to the counties of Lee in Iowa and
Hancock in Illinois; and directed the discontinuance of all
stakes of Zion outside of these two.
Under date of June 1st, 1841, the Prophet records
that Elder Sidney Rigdon had been ordained a prophet,
seer and revelator. This ordination was probably attended
to in the month of May.
CHAPTER L.
Joseph's visit to governor carlin at quincy — arrest on
the old requisition froji missouri — a sheriff nursed
by his prisoner — judge douglas discharges the
prophet on writ of ''habeas corpus" — browning's
eloquent appeal— death of don carlos smith — events
at nauvoo closing 184 l
On the 1st day of June, 18-41, the Prophet accompanied
his brother Hyrum and William Law as far as Quincy,
Illinois, on their mission to the east. While at Quincy
he called upon Governor Carlin at the latter' s residence
and was treated with marked respect and kindness. In
the lengthy conversation which Joseph had with Carlin,
nothing was said concerning the requisition formerly
issued by the state of Missouri and endorsed by Carlin for
the arrest of the Prophet. This requisition had been re-
turned, not served; all excitement concerning it had died
away; and the absurd character of the demand made for
Joseph's person was supposed to be understood by Carlin
and all the other officials of the state.
After enjoying the hospitality of the Governor, Joseph
withdrew and had only proceeded a little distance on his
homeward journey, when Carlin sent Thomas King, sheriff
of Adams County, Thomas Jasper, constable of Quincy,
and several others, as a posse, with an officer from Mis-
souri to apprehend the Prophet and deliver him up to the
emissaries of Boggs. This large party pursued Joseph
and on the 5th day of June overtook and arrested him at
Heberline's hotel, Bear Creek, about twenty-eight miles
south of Nauvoo. With the formal act of arrest the offense
charged against the Prophet was made known, that he
368 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
was "a fugitive from justice;" but as the fact of his per-
secution in Missouri was well-known to the posse, and as
the officer from Missouri did not conceal the vindictive
hate with which he viewed his prisoner nor smother his
threats, many of the party left in disgust and returned to
their homes, declaring that they would have nothing to
do with such outrageous proceedings. Their action had
a salutary effect upon the officers who remained. Joseph
was taken back to Quincy and there obtained a writ of
habeas corpus from Charles A. "Warren, master in chan-
cery. Judge Stephen A. Douglas arrived at Quincy that
night and appointed a hearing on the writ for Tuesday,
the 8th day of June, in Monmouth, Warren County, where
the court for the fifth judicial circuit for Illinois would
then commence the regular term. On the morning after
the arrest, Sheriff King and the Missouri officer with their
aides, went to Nauvoo with their prisoner in charge. In
the meantime considerable excitement had prevailed in
the city, as news of the Prophet's arrest had been con-
veyed there, and his brethren well knew that for him to
return to Missouri was to return to assassination. A party
of his friends including Hosea Stout, Tarleton Lewis, John
S. Higbee and others, had come by the river to find him
at Quincy but had missed him on the way, as he came to
Nauvoo by land.
Sheriff King was suffering greatly from ill health;
and, after leaving Quincy, was seized with violent illness.
At Nauvoo the Prophet took the sheriff to his own house
and nursed him like a brother, and continued this assid-
uous care for his captor during the four days intervening
until after the arrival at Monmouth.
On Monday, the 7th day of June, the Prophet de-
parted very early in the morning for the appointed place,
which was seventy-five miles distant. He was accompanied
by Charles C. Rich, Amasa Lyman, Shadrach Eoundy,
Reynolds Cahoon, Charles Hopkins, Alfred Randall, Elias
Higbee, Morris Phelps, John P. Greene, Henry Gr. Sher-
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 369
wood, Joseph Younger, Darwin Chase, Ira Miles, Joel S.
Miles, Lucien Woodworth, Vinson Knight, Robert B.
Thompson, George Miller and others. They traveled all
day and until very late, making their camp about mid-
night in the road.
On Tuesday morning, June 8th, they reached Mon-
mouth, where great excitement prevailed. A multitude of
citizens had gathered, filled with curiosity to obtain a sight
of the Prophet, whom they expected and hoped to see
loaded down with chains. A mob incited by sectarian
bigotry attempted to seize his person; but the sheriff,
whose health had been partially restored through Joseph's
careful nursing, declared that he would protect his pris-
oner at all hazards, and after much difficulty the mob
was repulsed by the sheriff and the friends of order.
An effort was made to have the hearing on the writ
immediately, but the state's attorney objected and secured
a postponement until the next morning. On that day the
citizens were kept in a state of ferment The sectarian
enemies of the Prophet hoped they saw an opportunity to
injure him, and they employed a great array of counsel to
assist in overthrowing the writ and remanding the Prophet
back to his old and blood-thirsty enemies, Others there
were not so vindictive, who besought him to preach to the
populace that night. They crowded around the prison
and flocked to the window to get a peep at him, but the
confinement was too close to permit of his addressing them
even through the bars, further than to promise them that
Elder Amasa Lyman should give them a sermon on the
succeeding evening.
At an early hour on Wednesday the court at Mon-
mouth was filled with spectators anxious to witness the
proceedings, The counsel in behalf of the Prophet were
Charles A. Warren, Sidney H. Little, 0. H. Browning,
James H, Ralston, Cyrus Walker and Archibald Williams.
On behalf of the prosecution there were not only the
state's attorneys, but a large number of prominent law-
26
370 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
vers employed by Joseph's opponents, and there were also
some volunteer prosecutors who thought to get some fame
or notoriety out of this ease. Threats of the most awful
character were uttered against the Prophet's advocates;
and even the conservative element warned them that they
might expect no further political favors from that county
if they persisted in defending a man so repugnant to the
sectarian religious element. They were not to be fright-
ened by any such means, and they pursued their course
vigorously. Two points were raised for the Prophet. One
was that the writ was void, having once been returned to
the executive by the sheriff of Hancock County; and the
other was that the whole proceeding on the part of Mis-
souri was illegal and that the indictment upon which the
requisition was based had been obtained through fraud,
bribery and corruption.
A young lawyer from Missouri was among the volun-
teers to plead against Joseph. While uttering his tirade
in court, he was stricken by such pains that he ceased to
talk and rushed from the court house. Many of the
people who had been amused by his antics, shouted after
him, as they saw his pale face and the contortions of his
stomach: "Now we know why they call the people of
Missouri Pukes."
0. H. Browning made the principal speech for the
Prophet. This Mr. Browning afterward became a mem-
ber of President Johnson's Cabinet as Secretary of the
[nterior. He was a man of great courage and possessed
vigor and eloquence in speech. After covering the points
of law involved, he recited many of the indignities which
had been perpetrated upon the Prophet in Missouri and ridi-
culed the idea of his going back to be tried by his sworn
murderers. Mr. Browning had been a witness to much of
the distress of the Saints. He stated the circumstances
of the exile from Missouri, and feelingly and emphatically
pointed out the impossibility of Joseph's obtaining justice
thei^e. He said that the very men who would be called as
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 371
witnesses for the defense in the Prophet's case, if it were
to be tried in Missouri, were actually forbidden by execu-
tive decree under the penalty of death, to ente/ upon the
soil of that blood-stained state. He recounted the cruel-
ties which had been practiced upon the Saints until the
streams of Missouri had run with sanguinary hues; and
declared that he himself had seen women and children
destitute and defenseless, crossing the Mississippi to seek
refuge from ruthless mobs. After saying that to send
Joseph Smith back to Missouri for trial was but adding
insult to injury, he concluded:
Great God! have I not seen it? Yes, mine eyes have
beheld the blood-stained traces of innocent women and
children, in the drear winter, who had traveled hundreds
of miles barefoot through frost and snow, to seek a refuge
from their savage pursuers. It was a scene of horror,
sufficient to enlist sympathy from an adamantine heart.
And shall this unfortunate man, whom their fury has seen
proper to select for sacrifice, be driven into such a savage
land, and none dare to enlist in the cause of justice? If
there was no other voice under heaven ever to be heard in
this cause, gladly would I stand alone, and proudly spend
my latest breath, in defense of an oppressed American
citizen.
So affecting was Browning's address that many of the
officers and spectators of the court wept for the woes of
the Prophet and his persecuted people.
The case was then adjourned until the next morning.
In the meantime, Elder Amasa M. Lyman preached a
sermon to which a large congregation listened attentively.
His address was marked by such power and spirit that a
total revulsion in sentiment took place ; and when the
court next day decreed the discharge of the prisoner, the
populace could no longer be incited by jealous priests into
a demonstration against Joseph.
The opinion of Judge Douglas in releasing the
Prophet was recorded as follows :
372 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
That the writ being once returned to the Executive
by the sheriff of Hancock County was dead, and stood in
the same relationship as any other writ which might issue
from the circuit court; and consequently, the defendant
could not be held in custody on that writ. The other
point, whether evidence in the case was admissible or
not, he would not at that time decide, as it involved great
and important considerations relative to the future con-
duct of the different states. There being no precedent,
as far as they have access to authorities, to guide them;
but he would endeavor to examine the subject, and avail
himself of all the authorities which could be obtained on
the subject before he would decide that point. But on the
other, the defendant must be liberated.
About 2 p. m. on Thursday, June 10th, the Prophet
and his company started upon their return to Nauvoo
where they arrived at 4 p. m. on the 11th, and were
greeted by the joyous acclamations of the Saints.
Some of the so-called religious publications made
this trial a pretext for all manner of false and sense-
less utterances against Joseph and the people. Their
purpose was very apparent. The ministers who preached
for hire and divined for money feared to see their craft in
danger; the growth of the Saints was too rapid; the
influence of Joseph was too great. It did not matter
to these enemies of the work that the Saints were law-
abiding and industrious, and that the Prophet exercised
no unrighteous authority, but labored in love and charity
among his brethren and all people. They were deter-
mined to spread their lies abroad that a feeling of hatred
might be incited against Joseph and the people of Nau-
voo; and they were successful, for prejudice continued
to enlarge its circle from that time. All these evil
reports were colored by statements of the Missouri officials
who, to screen themselves gave out the ex parte testimony
of mobocrats as being truthful statements of the Missouri
persecutions. A few papers had the courage and truth to
examine carefully before committing themselves; and
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 373
were led to protest against the unhallowed warfare waged
by the blood-thirsty mob against Joseph and his law-
abiding and order-loving brethren in Nauvoo. Among
articles of this character was one which appeared in the
Juliet Courier, written to the editor of that journal by a
spectator of the trial at Monmouth, from which the follow-
ing is an excerpt:
Before this reaches you, I have no doubt you will
have heard of the trial of Joseph Smith, familiarly known
as the Mormon Prophet. As some misrepresentations
have already gone abroad in relation to Judge Douglas's
decision, and the merits of the question decided by the
judge, permit me to say, the only question decided,
though many were debated, was the validity of the execu-
tive writ which had once been sent out, I think in Sept.,
1840, and a return on it that Mr. Smith couldj not be
found. The same ivrit was issued in June, 1841. There
can really be no great difficulty about this matter, under
this state of facts.
The judge acquitted himself handsomely, and silenced
clamors that had been raised against the defendant.
Since the trial I have been at Nauvoo, on the Missis-
sippi, in Hancock County, Illinois, and have seen the
manner in which things are conducted among the Mor-
mons. In the first place, I cannot help noticing the plain
hospitality of the Prophet Smith to all strangers visiting
the town, aided as he is in making the stranger comfort-
able by his excellent wife, a woman of superior ability.
The people of the town appear to be honest and indus-
trious, engaged in their usual avocations of building up a
town and making all things around them comfortable.
On Sunday I attended one of their meetings, in front of
the temple now building and one of the largest buildings
in the state. There could not have been less than 2,500
people present, and as well appearing as any number that
could be found in this or any state. Mr. Smith preached
in the morning, and one could have readily learned, then,
the magic by which he has built up this society, because,
as we say in Illinois, "they believe in him,' 7 and in his
honesty. It has been a matter of astonishment to me,
after seeing the Prophet, as he is called, Elder Rigdon
374 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
and many other gentlemanly men anyone may see at
Nauvoo who will visit there, why it is that so many pro-
fessing Christianity, and so many professing to reverence
the sacred principles of our constitution (which gives free
religious toleration to all), have slandered and persecuted
this sect of Christians.
In the month of July, 1841, the Apostles began to
return to Nauvoo from their missions to Europe, and
their coming was a great comfort to the Prophet in his
hour of affliction. At a special conference whbh was held
at Nauvoo on the 16th of August, 1841, shortly after the
return of the Twelve, Joseph stated to the people there
assembled that the time had come when the Apostles must
stand in their places next to the First Presidency. They
had been faithful and had borne the burden and heat of
the day, giving the gospel triumph in the nations of the
earth, and it was right that they should now remain at
home and perform duty in Zion. At th^ same conference
the Twelve selected a number of Elders to goon missions,
and Joseph stated to- the congregation that it was desir-
able to build up the cities in Hancock County, Illinois,
and Lee County, Iowa.
In addition to the woes wrought by his enemies
upon the Prophet he had cause to mourn in August. His
infant child Don Carlos died, bringing great distress
upon the household. Also his youngest brother, Don
Carlos Smith departed this life on the seventh day of
August, 1841. This was a great blow to the Prophet and
the family. Don Carlos was but twenty-five years of age
at the time of his death. He was a young man of con-
siderable promise, and had been very active and zealous
in the work from the commencement. He was one of
the first to receive the testimony of Joseph respecting
the gospel. The evening after the plates of the Book of
Mormon were shown to the eight witnesses, a meeting
was held at which all the witnesses bore testimony of the
truth of the latter-day dispensation. Don Carlos was
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 375
present at this meeting, and also bore the same testi-
mony. He was ordained to the Priesthood when only
fourteen years old, and at that age accompanied his father
on a mission to his grandfather and relatives in St.
Lawrence County, New York. While on this mission he
was the means of convincing a Baptist minister of the
truth of the work of God. After this he took several mis-
sions, and was very active in the ministry at home, being
one of the twenty-four Elders who laid the corner stones
of the Kirtland temple. Before he was quite twenty
years old he was ordained President of the High Priests'
Quorum, in which capacity he acted until the time of his
death. He and his counselors laid the southwest corner
stone of the temple at Nauvoo. He was a printer, having
learned the business in the office of Oliver Cowdery at
Kirtland, and when the Elders' Journal was published
there he took charge of the establishment. After the
Saints removed to Nauvoo, he commenced making prep-
arations for the publishing of the Times and Seasons. To
get the paper issued at an early date he was under the
necessity of cleaning out a cellar, through which a spring
was constantly flowing, that being the only place where
he could put up the press. He caught cold at this labor,
and this, with administering to the sick, impaired his
health, which he never fully recovered again. At the time
of his death he was Brigadier- General of the first cohort
of the Nauvoo Legion, and a member of the city council
of Nauvoo.
Like Joseph and his other brothers, he was asplendidly
formed man physically, being six feet, four inches high,
very straight and well made, and strong and active. He
was much beloved by all who knew him; for he was wise
beyond his years, and he appeared to have a great future
before him.
On the 12th day of this month Nauvoo was visited by
a band of Sac and Fox Indians, under Chiefs Keokuk and
Kiskukosh and Appenose. The party consisted of about
376 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
one hundred chiefs and braves with their families, and
they had come to Nauvoo to see the Prophet. At the
landing they were met by Joseph and Hyrum and escorted
to the meeting ground in the grove, where the Prophet
proceeded to address them upon their origin and the
promises of God concerning them. His remarks were
interpreted to them and gave them great delight. Then
he advised them to cease killing each other and warring
with other tribes and besought them to keep peace with
the whites. In reply to this Keokuk said he had a Book
of Mormon which the Prophet had given him years
before. Said he to Joseph:
I believe you are a great and good man. I look
rough, but I also am a son of the Great Spirit. I have
heard your advice; we intend to quit fighting and follow
the good advice you have given us.
On the 27th day of August, 1841, Elder Robert
Blashel Thompson died at his residence in Nauvoo in the
thirtieth year of his age. He had been Joseph's scribe
and trusted friend, and the Prophet mourned him sin-
cerely. On the 13th day of September, 1841, Willard
Richards was appointed to be his successor.
On the 13th day of September, 1841, Edward Hunter
visited Nauvoo and made the acquaintance of the Prophet.
This noble man had journeyed from Chester County in
Pennsylvania, in answer to the gospel call; and he
brought his substance with him. Being a man of wealth,
he proved a blessing to the people and city.
Brigadier-General Swazey and the Colonel of the
militia of Lee County, Iowa, invited Joseph and Hyrum,
with John C. Bennett, to view a military parade at
Montrose on the 14th of September, 1841. They accepted
the invitation and were very courteously received by the
general and the officers, and every mark of respect
was extended to them by the militia. A foolish fellow
named D. W. Kilbourn, a merchant, took umbrage at
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 377
the presence of the Prophet and his party and attempted
to raise a riot. Daring the noon hour, when the militia
were resting from their exercises, he gathered a large
crowd around his store and read to them the following
quotation :
Citizens of Iowa: — The laws of Iowa do not require
you to muster under or be reviewed by Joseph Smith or
General Bennett, and should they have the impudence to
attempt it, it is hoped that every person having a proper
respect for himself will at once leave the ranks.
Neither the Prophet nor his brother was in military
costume, being there entirely in the capacity of private
citizens, and the ridiculous insult was so apparent that
even Kil bourn's friends resented it. After the exercises
were over the Prophet was escorted to the river landing
by a large party which bade him farewell with every mani-
festation of respect and friendship.
At the general conference which was held in the grove
at Nauvoo on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th days of October, 1841,
many matters of Church welfare were transacted. At the
request of the Twelve, Joseph gave instruction on the
subject of baptism for the dead.* His remarks were a
revelation of comfort to the Saints who had sorrowed that
their ancestry had been deprived of the privilege of hearing
the gospel truth. Among other things which the Prophet
uttered on this memorable occasion were the following
sentiments :
The only way to obtain truth and wisdom, is not to
ask it from books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain
divine teaching. It is no more incredible that God should
save the dead than that he should raise the dead.
There is never a time when the spirit is too old to
approach God. All are within the reach of pardoning
mercy, who have not committed the unpardonable sin,
which hath no forgiveness, neither in this world, nor in
See note 4, Appendix.
378 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
the world to come. There is a way to release the spirit
of the dead; that is by the power and authority of the
Priesthood — by binding and loosing on earth. This doc-
trine appears glorious, inasmuch as it exhibits the great-
ness of divine compassion and benevolence in the extent
of the plan of human salvation.
This glorious truth is well calculated to enlarge the
understanding, and to sustain the soul under troubles,
difficulties and distresses. For illustration: suppose the
case of two men, brothers, equally intelligent, learned,
virtuous and lovely, walking in uprightness and in all
good conscience, so far as they had been able to discern
duty from the muddy stream of tradition, or from the
blotted pages of the book of nature.
One dies and is buried, having never heard the gospel
of reconciliation; to the other the message of salvation is
sent, he hears and embraces it, and is made the heir of
eternal life. Shall the one become a partaker of glory,
and the other be consigned to hopeless perdition? Is there
no chance for his escape? Sectarianism answers, None!
none!! none!!! Such an idea is worse than atheism.
The truth shall break down and dash in pieces all such
bigoted Pharisaism; the sects shall be sifted, the honest
in heart brought out, and their priests left in the midst of
their corruption.
At this conference the Prophet announced:
There shall be no more baptisms for the dead until
the ordinance can be attended to in the font of the Lord's
house, and the Church shall not hold another general
conference until they can meet in said house. For thus
saith the Lord!
The conference had begun under discoui aging cir-
cumstances. The weather was unpropitious, and there
was some ill health. But before its conclusion a vast
number of Saints and visitors from abroad had gathered,
and at the last day, when the weather became more favor-
able, the congregation was a multitude. There was much
occasion at this conference for congratulation. The work
was prospering at home and abroad. Unanimity pre-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 379
vailed among the Saints in the stakes of Zion; and the
missionary Elders were constantly sending up reports of
their success among the honest-in-heart.
As the brethren of the Twelve had taken upon their
own shoulders many of the burdens which the Prophet
had borne in their absence, he was enabled to perform
greater labors in the way of general instruction than ever
before. Under his direction the temporal interests of the
people in Nauvoo prospered greatly. He also read the
proofs of the Book of Mormon previous to its being-
stereotyped.
On the 8 h day of November, 1841, the baptismal
font in the Lord's house was dedicated, President Brigham
Young being spokesman.
The falsehoods concerning the Saints bore evil fruit.
Bad men gathered in Hancock and Lee and made depre-
dations upon the property of the Saints and other citizens
alike. The thefts perpetrated upon other citizens were
attributed to the followers of the Prophet; and the thieves
themselves circulated the report secretly that these evil
deeds were committed under the direction of Joseph and
Hyrum. So industriously were these bad reports scattered
and so generally were they believed that in November of
1841, the Prophet and Hyrum gave out to the world their
innocence of these deeds, stating that .they did not sanc-
tion any evil practice in any person whatever, and they
warned all people of Nauvoo and the surrounding country
against being made the dupes of thieves, plunderers and
falsifiers. They declared that the Church would purge it-
self of all persons connected with any such crime.
CHAPTER LI.
THE POWER OF HUMAN HARMONY — CHANGING HELL TO HEAVEN
—JOSEPH AS A SERVANT — HIS SKETCH OF THE CHURCH—
A RINGING EDITORIAL — ORGANIZATION OF THE RELIEF
SOCIETY — BENNETT BEGINS HIS PLOTS.
Upon one occasion, when the power of persecution was
descending upon the people, a threat of the mobocrats
was carried to the Prophet. It was this: "We are going
to drive the Mormons to hell, this time, sure."
With an entrancing mildness of look and sweetness
of voice, Joseph replied:
Nevermind, my brethren, if they drive us to hell,
we'll turn the devil out and make a heaven of it.
This sentiment is at once a sermon upon unity and an
epitome of the history of the Latter* day Saints. By their
union and system of mutual help they have again and
again redeemed wildernesses; every time demonstrating
that the Prophet's view of the power of human harmony
was correct — for where the love of truth and the concord
of the Saints exist there is no room for Satan, and hell it-
self must be transformed into a region of bliss.
Joseph was putting these principles into practice at
Nauvoo, and a beautiful city was growing out of a marsh;
and institutions for human liberty and human advancement
were growing out of the most adverse conditions.
Near the opening of 1842 the Prophet, with President
Brigham Young and Bishop Newel K. Whitney, began to
devise a plan, by which a cheap and expeditious convey-
ance of the Saints from the old world to Nauvoo might be
secured through a united effort; and the mercantile in-
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 381
terests of the people might be made to serve the general
welfare and protect and help the poor. The Prophet him-
self did Dot hesitate to engage in mercantile and industrial
pursuits; the gospel which he preached was one of tem-
poral salvation as well as spiritual exaltation ; and he was
willing to perform his share of the practical labor. This
he did with no thought of personal gain, for in opening
the store at Nauvoo he said :
I rejoice that we have been enabled to do as well as
we have, for the hearts of many of the poor brethren and
sisters will be made glad with these comforts which are
now within their reach.
In a letter to Brother Edward Hunter, under date of
January 5th, 1842, the Prophet shows his humility and
the love of his heart in these words :
The store has been filled to overflowing and I have
stood behind the counter all day, distributing goods as
steadily as any clerk you ever saw, to oblige those who
were compelled to go without their Christmas and New
Year's dinners for the want of a little sugar, molasses,
raisins, etc. ; i and to please myself also, for I love to wait
upon the Saints and to be a servant to all, hoping that I
may be exalted in the due time of the Lord.
What a picture is here presented! A man chosen by
the Lord to lay the foundation of His Church and to be
its Prophet and President, takes joy and pride in waiting
upon his brethren and sisters like a servant. The self-
elected ministers of Christ in the world are forever jealous
of their dignity and fearful of showing disrespect to their
cloth : but Joseph never saw the day when he did not feel
that he was serving God and obtaining favor in the sight
of Jesus Christ by showing kindness and attention "even
unto the least of these."
One Tom Sharp, editor of the Warsaw Signal, was
devoting the greater part of his time and the greater part
of his paper's space to slanders and misrepresentations of
382 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
the Saints. The Prophet's comment upon this man, who
afterward became a prominent factor in the persecutions
against the people, was: "Let Sharp publish what he
pleases: the faster he prints his lies the sooner he will
get through."
There were signs of prosperity for the Saints and al-
though they were not yet surrounded by comforts, they
began to give freely of their substance to rear the temple,
anxiously looking forward to its completion as a thing of
mighty importance to the living and to the dead. With
the rapid increase of their numbers, the politicians of the
state sought their favor. The Prophet took occasion,
during the gubernatorial contest of 1842, to announce that
he would support without regard to their political predi-
lections, the men who were devoted to humanity and equal
rights — the cause of liberty and the law. And this was
his text in every political campaign in which the people
took part.
John Wentworth, proprietor of the Chicago Democrat,
wrote to the Prophet early in 1842, asking for a sketch of
the Church and its founder, stating that he desired the
data for a Mr. Barstow who was writing the history of
New Hampshire. Joseph very willingly complied with
this request and gave a succinct history of the founding
of the Church, its progress and persecutions ; with a state-
ment of the faith of the Latter-day Saints. The Prophet's
own words cannot fail to be of intense interest to students
of his life; and as his account shows masterly condensa-
tion and completeness, it is here presented in full:
"I was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor County,
Vermont, on the 23rd of December, A. D. 1805. When
ten years old my parents removed to Palmyra, New York,
where we resided about four years, and from thence we
removed to the town of Manchester. My father was a
farmer and taught me the art of husbandry. When about
fourteen years of age I began to reflect upon the import-
ance of being prepared for a future state, and upon in-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 383
quiring upon the plan of salvation, I found that there was
a great clash in religious sentiment; if I went to one
society they referred me to one plan, and another to an-
other; each one pointing to his own particular creed as
the summum bonum of perfection; considering that all
could not be right, and that God could not be the author
of so much confusion, I determined to investigate the sub-
ject more fully, believing that if God had a church it would
not be split up into factions, and that if He taught one
society to worship one way, and administer in one set of
ordinances, He would not teach another principles that
were diametrically opposed.
Believing the word of God, I had confidence in the
declaration of James — "If any man lack wisdom, let him
ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth
not, and it shall be given him." I retired to a secret
place in a grove, and began to call upon the Lord; while
fervently engaged in supplication, my mind was taken
away from the objects with which I was surrounded, and
I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glori-
ous personages, who exactly resembled each other in fea-
tures and likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light which
eclipsed the sun at noonday. They told me that all the
religious denominations were believing in incorrect doc-
triues, and that none of them was acknowledged of God
as His Church and kingdom; and I was expressly com-
manded to ' 'go not after them;" at the same time receiving
a promise that the fullness of the gospel should at some
future time be made known unto me.
On the evening of the 21st of September, A. D. 1823,
while I was praying unto God, and endeavoring to exer-
cise faith in the precious promises of scripture, on a sud-
den a light like that of day, only of a far purer and more
glorious appearance and brightness, burst into the room;
indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled
with consuming fire. The appearance produced a shock
that affected the whole body. In a moment a personage
stood before me surrounded with a glory yet greater than
that with which I was already surrounded. r l his messen-
ger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to
bring the joyful tidings, that the covenant which God
made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that
the preparatory work for the second coming of the Mes-
siah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand
384 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
for the gospel, in all its fullness, to be preached in power
unto all nations, that a people might be prepared for the
millennial reign.
I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument
in the hands of God to bring about some of His purposes
in this glorious dispensation.
I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhab-
itants of this country, and shown who they were and from
whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress,
civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness
and their iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally
withdrawn from them as a people, was made known unto
me. I was also told where there were deposited some
plates on which were engraven an abridgement of the rec-
ords of the ancient prophets that had existed on this con-
tinent. The angel appeared to me three times the same
night, and unfolded the same things. After having
received many visits from the angels of God, unfolding
the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire
in the last days, on the morning of the 22nd of September,
A.D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into
my hands.
These records were engraven on plates which had the
appearance of gold. Each plate was six inches wide
and ^ight long, and not quite so thick as common tin.
They were filled with engravings in Egyptian characters,
and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book,
with three rings running through the whole. The volume
was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which
was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were
small and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhic-
ited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much
skill in the art of engraving. With the records was
found a curious instrument, which the ancients called
u Urim and Thummim," which consisted of two trans-
parent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast-
plate.
Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim 1
translated the record, by the gift and power of God.
In this important and interesting book the history of
ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a
colony that came from the tower of Babe 1 at the confusion
of languages, to the beginning of the fifth century of the
Christian era. We are informed by these records that
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 385
America in ancient times had been inhabited by two dis-
tinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites,
and came directly from the tower of Babel. The second
race came directly from the city of Jerusalem about six
hundred years before Christ. They were principally
Israelites of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites
were destroyed about the time the Israelites came from
Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the
country. The principal nation of the second race fell n
battle towards the close of the fourth century. The rem-
nant are the Indians that now inhabit this country. This
book also tells us that our Savior made His appearance
upon this continent after His resurrection, that He planted
the gospel herein all its fullness, and richness, and power,
and blessing; that they had apostles, prophets, pastors,
teachers and evangelists; the same order, the same Priest-
hood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers and blessings as
were enjoyed on the eastern continent; that the people
were cut off in consequence of their transgressions ; that
the last of their prophets who existed among them was
commanded to write an abridgement of their prophecies,
history, etc., and to hide it up in the earth, and that it
should come forth and be united with the Bible for the
accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days.
For a more particular account I would refer to the Book
of Mormon.
As soon as the news of this discovery was made
known, false reports, misrepresentations and slander flew
as on the wings of the wind in every direction; the house
was frequently beset by. mobs and evil- designing persons.
Several times I was shot at and very narrowly escaped,
and every device was made use of to get the plates away
from me, but the power and blessing of God attended me,
and several began to believe my testimony.
On the 6th of April, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints was organized in the town of Fay-
ette, Seneca County, state of New York. Some few were
called and ordained by the spirit of revelation and proph-
ecy, and began to preach as the Spirit gave them utter-
ance, and, though weak, they were strengthened by the
power of God, and many were brought to repentance,
were immersed in the water, and were filled with the Holy
Ghost by the laying on of hands. They saw visions and
27
386 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
prophesied, devils were cast out, and the sick healed by
the laying on of hands. From that time the work rolled
forth with astonishing rapidity, and churches were soon
formed in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois and Missouri; in the last named state a
considerable settlement was formed in Jackson County;
numbers joined the Church, and we were increasing rap-
idly; we made large purchases of land, our farms teemed
with plenty, and peace and happiness were enjoyed in our
domestic circles and throughout our neighborhoods; but
as we could not associate with our neighbors — who were,
many of them, the basest of men, and had fled from the
face of civilized society to the frontier country to escape
the hand of justice — in their midnight revels, in their
Sabbath breaking, horse racing and gambling, they com-
menced at first to ridicule, then to persecute, and, finally,
an organized mob assembled and burned our houses,
tarred and feathered, and whipped many of our brethren,
and finally drove them from their habitations, who,
houseless and homeless, contrary to law, justice and
humanity, had to wander on the bleak prairies till the
children left the tracks of their blood on the prairie. This
took place in the month of November, and they had no
other covering but the canopy of heaven, in this inclem-
ent season of the year. This proceeding was winked at
by the government, and although we had warrantee deeds
for our land, and had violated no law, we could obtain no
redress.
There were many sick, who were thus inhumanly
driven from their houses, and had to endure all this abuse,
and to seek homes where they could be found. The
result was, that a great many of them, being deprived of
the comforts of life and the necessary attendance, died;
many children were left orphans, wives widows, and hus-
bands widowers. Our farms were taken possession of by
the mob, many thousands of cattle, sheep, horses and
hogs were taken, and our household goods, store goods,
and printing press and type were broken, taken or other-
wise destroyed.
Many of our brethren removed to Clay, where they
continued until 1836, three years; there was no violence
offered, but there were threatenings of violence. But in
the summer of 1836 these threatenings began to assume a
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 387
more serious form; from threats, public meetings were
called, resolutions were passed, vengeance and destruction
were threatened, and affairs again assumed a fearful atti-
tude. Jackson County was a sufficient precedent, and as
the authorities in that county did not interfere, they
boasted that they would not in this, which, upon appli-
cation to the authorities, we found to be too true, and after
much violence, privation and loss of property, we were
again driven from our homes.
We next settled in Caldwell and Daviess counties,
where we made large and extensive settlements, thinking
to free ourselves from the power of oppression by settling
in new counties with very few inhabitants in them; but
here we were not allowed to live in peace, for in 1838 we
were again attacked by mobs ; an exterminating order was
issued by Governor Boggs, and under the sanction of
law an organized banditti ranged through the coun-
try, robbed us of our cattle, sheep, horses, hogs, etc.
Many of our people were murdered in cold blood, the
chastity of our women was violated, and we were forced
to sign away our property at the point of the sword; and
after enduring every indignity that could be heaped upon
us by an inhuman, ungodly band of marauders, from
twelve to fifteen thousand souls — men, women and chil-
dren — were driven from their own firesides, and from
lands that they had warrantee deeds of, houseless, friend-
less and homeless, in the depth of winter, to wander as
exiles on the earth, or to seek an asylum in a more genial
clime and among a less barbarous people.
Many sickened and died in consequence of the cold
and hardships they had to endure ; many wives were left
widows, and children orphans and destitute. It would
take more time than is allotted me here to describe the
injustice, the wrongs, the murders, the bloodshed, the
theft, misery and woe that have been caused by the bar-
barous, inhuman and lawless proceedings of t he stateof
Missouri.
In the situation before alluded to, we arrived in the
state of Illinois in 1839, where we found a hospitable peo-
ple and a friendly home; a people who were willing to be
governed by the principles of law and humanity. We
have commenced to build a city called "Nauvoo," in
Hancock County. We number from six to eight thousand
388 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
here, besides vast numbers in the county around, and in
almost every county of the state. We have a city char-
ter granted us, and a charter for a legion, the troops of
which now number 1,500. We have also a charter for a
university, for an agricultural and manufacturing society,
have our own laws and administrators, and possess all the
privileges that other free and enlightened citizens enjoy.
Persecution has not stopped the progress of truth, but
has only added fuel to the flame, it has spread with in-
creasing rapidity: proud of the cause which they have
espoused, and conscious of their innocence, and of the
truth of their system, amidst calumny and reproach, have
the Elders of this Church gone forth, and planted the gos-
pel in almost every state in the Union ; it has penetrated
our cities, it has spread over our villages, and has caused
thousands of our intelligent, noble and patriotic citizens
to obey its divine mandates, and be governed by its sa-
cred truths. It has also spread into England, Ireland,
Scotland and Wales; in the year 1840, where a few of our
missionaries were sent, over five thousand joined the
Standard of Truth; there are numbers now joining in
every land.
Our missionaries are going forth to different nations,
and in Germany, Palestine, New Holland, the East Indies
and other places, the Standard of Truth has been erected;
no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing,
persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may
assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will
go forth boldly, nobly and independent, till it has pene-
trated every continent, visited every clime, swept every
country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of
God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall
say the work is done.
We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His
Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
We believe that men will be punished for their own
sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
We believe that through the atonement of Christ all
mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordi-
nances of the gospel.
We believe that these ordinances are 1st: Faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ; 2nd, Eepentance; 3rd, Baptism by
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 389
immersion for the remission of sins; 4th, Laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
We believe that a man must be called of God by
"prophecy and by laying on of hands 1 ' by those who
are in authority, to preach the gospel and administer in
the ordinances thereof.
We believe in the same organization that existed in
the primitive church, namely, Apostles, Prophets, Pas-
tors, Teachers, Evangelists, etc.
We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revela-
tions, visions, healing, interpretations of tongues, etc.
We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as
it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mor-
mon to be the word of God.
We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does
now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many
great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of
God.
We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in
the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion will be built
upon this continent; that Christ will reign personally
upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and
receive its paradisiacal glory.
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God
according to the dictates of our own conscience, and
allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how,
where or what they may.
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents,
rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustain-
ing the law.
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent,
virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed we may
say that we follow the admonition of Paul "we believe all
things, we hope all things," we have endured many
things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there
is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report, or praise-
worthy, we seek after these things.
Eespectfully, etc.,
Joseph Smith.
In February of 1842, Joseph became the editor of the
Times and Seasons, assisted oy Apostle John Taylor.
The Prophet continued to carry this responsibility for
390 JOSEPH THE PROPHET
nearly a year when a press of other business, combined
with the persecution of his enemies, compelled him to re-
linquish the task into the hands of his assistant, Elder
Taylor, who was then formally announced as the editor.
During 1842, Joseph gave many instructions of precious
truth through that periodical to the Saints, and published,
with engravings made by Elder Reuben Hedlock, his
translation of the Book of Abraham.
In the issue of the Times and Seasons for March 1st,
1842, appears the Prophet's first editorial article. It is
significant and strong:
"honor among thieves."
We extract the following from the New York Tribune:
"The paymaster of the Missouri militia, called out to
put down the Mormons some two years since, was sup-
plied with money some time since and started for western
Missouri, but has not yet arrived there. It is feared that
he has taken the saline slope."
We are not surprised that persons who could wanton-
ly, barbarously and without the shadow of law, drive fif-
teen thousand men, women and children from their homes,
should have among them a man who was so lost to every
sense of justice, as to run away with the wages for this
infamous deed ; it is not very difficult for men who can
blow out the brains of children ; who can shoot down and
hew to pieces our ancient veterans that fought in the de-
fense of our country and delivered it from the oppressor's
grasp; who could deliberately, and in cold blood, murder
men, and rob them of their boots, watches, etc., and
whilst they were yet weltering in their biood and grap-
pling with death, and then proceed to rob their widowed
houses Men who can deliberately do this, and steal nearly
all the horses, cattle, sheep, hogs and property of a whole
community, and drive them from their homes en masse,
in an inclement season of the year, will not find many
qualms of conscience in stealing the pay of his brother
thieves, and taking the "saline slope."
The very idea of government paying these men for
their bloody deeds, must cause the sons of liberty to blush,
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 391
and to hang their harps upon the willow; and make the
blood of every patriot run chill. The proceedings of that
state have been so barbarous and inhuman that our in-
dignation is aroused when we reflect upon the scene.
We are here reminded of one of the patriotic deeds of
the government of that state, which, after it had robbed
us of everything we had in the world, and taken from us
many hundred thousand dollars worth of property, had
its sympathies so far touched (alias, its good name,) that
it voted two thousand dollars for the relief of the "suffer-
ing Mormons," and choosing two or three of the state's
noblest sons to carry the heavenly boon, these angels of
salvation came in the plenitude of their mercy, and in the
dignity of their office, to Far West. To do what? to feed
their hungry, and clothe their naked with the $2,000?
Verily nay! but to go into Daviess County and steal the
Mormons' hogs (which they, [the Mormons] themselves,
were prohibited from obtaining, under penalty of death) to
distribute among the destitute, and to sell where they
could obtain the money. These hogs, thus obtained, were
shot down in their blood, and not otherwise bled; they
were filthy to a degree. These, the Mormons' own hogs,
and a very few goods, the sweepings of an old store in
Liberty, were what these patriotic and noble-minded men
gave to the "poor Mormons," and then circulated to the
world how sympathetic, benevolent, kind and merciful the
legislature of the state of Missouri was in giving two
thousand dollars to the "suffering Mormons." Surely,
"the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."
The organization of the Female Relief Society at
Nauvoo began under the Prophet's direction on the 17th
of March, 1842, and was completed on the 24th day of
that month. The purpose of the society was to comfort
the poor and relieve the destitute and sustain the widow
and the orphan. The sisters among the Saints had always
been signalized for their acts of kindness ; but the cruel
usage they had received in Missouri had prevented their
extending the hand of charity as they desired. Yet even
in the midst of their persecution, when the bread was torn
from the mouths of their offspring by the oppressors, they
had always been willing to open their doors to the weary
392 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
travelers and to divide their pittance with the stranger.
With the growing prosperity of the Church, the Prophet
felt sure that the sisters would concentrate their efforts to
ameliorate the condition of the suffering stranger, to pour
oil and wine into the wounded heart of the distressed, to
dry up the tears of the orphan, and make the widow's
heart to rejoice.
On the 20th day of March, 1842, after a sermon in
the grove near the temple, the Prophet went down to the
river and baptized eighty persons for the remission of their
sins. Fifty of this number received their confirmation
under his hands later in the day. One week afterward he
baptized one hundred and seven people in the Mississippi.
At the conference of the Church held at the city of
Nauvoo on the 6th day of April, 1842, the twelfth anniver-
sary of its organization, Apostle Page made explanation
of the delays through which he failed to accompany Elder
Orson Hyde to Jerusalem. x
The Prophet decided that Elder Page should be
restored to his fellowship; he took the occasion to instruct
the Elders that when they went forth as companions they
were to adhere to each other as Elisha and Elijah of old.
During this conference two hundred and seventy-five
Elders were ordained under the hands of the Apostles.
On Saturday the 9th day of April, 1842, the Prophet
attended the funeral of Ephraim Marks, a son of William
Marks, president of the Nauvoo Stake. President Wil-
ford Woodruff's journal of that date records that Joseph
addressed the funeral assemblage, and in the course of his
remarks said:
Some of the Saints have supposed that "Brother
Joseph" could not die; but this is a mistake. It is true
that there have been times when I have had the promise
of my life to accomplish certain things; but, having now
done these things, I have no longer any lease of my life.
I am as liable to die as other men.
This sermon is like a premonition of his own fate.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 393
At the time it was tittered his surroundings had never
been so propitious since the day when he first received the
plates from the hill Cumorah. But soon after he made
this declaration, his enemies began again to pursue him
vindictively, and they continued until his death a little
more than two years after he delivered that sermon.
In the spring of 1842, the Nauvoo Legion of the
Illinois state militia consisted of twenty- six companies,
comprising about two thousand troops. On the 7th day
of May the staff of the Legion dined at the house of the
commander-in-chief. Other guests were there, including
Judge Stephen A. Douglas, who had adjourned the circuit
court, then in session at Carthage, that he and the lawyers
might visit Nauvoo and witness the parade of the Legion.
A sham battle between the two cohorts under Brigadier-
Generals Wilson Law and Charles C. Rich was a feature
of the day. The battle and the parade were brilliant; and
the visitors expressed their admiration of the energy and
the patriotism of the Prophet and his brethren who had
organized and trained this large body of loyal troops to be
in readiness for their country's call.
It was during the sham battle of this day that the
Prophet became assured that John C. Bennett was a
wicked man — impure and traitorous. The proper place
for the Lieutenant- General commanding, was upon an
eminence where, surrounded by his staff and the ladies
and distinguished visitors, he could review the contest
between his cohorts. But Bennett made several endeavors
to draw Joseph down into the battle; failing in that, to get
him separated from his staff and party and in the rear of
one of his forces. Joseph might have yielded to some of
these requests but the Spirit whispered him that treachery
was meditated. A little later the purpose of Bennett was
made manifest. He had intended to get Joseph into such
a position that he could be killed by a shot and no one be
able to identify the assassin. Bennett no doubt had ac-
complices in this plot, and his plans were shrewdly laid;
394 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
but this was not the hour nor this the method for the
Prophet's death.
In recording the events of this day in his journal,
Joseph develops Bennett's trachery and predicts that the
wicked doings of the traitor will soon be made manifest
before the world. The prophecy was fulfilled.
CHAPTER LIL
BENNETT S IMPURITIES — HIS COWARDLY STAB AT THE PROPH-
ET' S NAME AND LIFE — FELLOWSHIP WITHDRAWN FROM
THE EVIL-DOER — QUOTING HIS OWN LETTERS TO INJURE
THE SAINTS — ATTEMPT TO KILL BOGGS — ABSURD CHARGES
AGAINST "THE MORMONS" — JOSEPH'S HORSE, "JOE
Insidious as was the attempt of Bennett upon the
Prophet's life during the sham battle of the Legion on the
7th of May, 1842, it was not so cowardly as the stab
which Bennett sought to inflict very soon after that. The
first blow aimed solely at the Prophet's life; the second
intended to slay his reputation and then to have him
killed with a dishonorable stain upon his name. Bennett
was lustful in his nature, though he had brought that dis-
position into subjection, or at least concealment, for a
little time after his arrival at Nauvoo. But he soon gave
way to the whisper of the tempter. And to make his
purpose successful, and to encloak himself with protec-
tion, he taught secretly to men and women that the
Prophet countenanced sin between the sexes. Bennett's
prominence, and the intimacy that he represented as ex-
isting between the Prophet and himself deceived a few,
and he found some followers in the city of Nauvoo. Men
and women professing to accept his teachings as having
emanated from the Prophet, gave themselves up to pro-
fligacy. They excused themselves to their own souls and
their fellow-beings by the pretense that the Prophet of God
justified these immoralities. Bennett's converts were few;
and these were only among the ignorant or the depraved,
for everyone who was himself pure in soul and blessed
with reasonable intelligence knew that nothing was more
396 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
"^abhorrent to the Prophet than sexual impurity. Joseph's
teachings upon this point were emphatic and frequent.
He regarded and taught that virtue in man or woman was
dearer than life, and that adultery was a sin second only to
\ the shedding of innocent blood.
But Bennett worked secretly and prevailed over sev-
eral to yield to his desires, and induced a few men to en-
gage in his awful course, securing concealment by the
most adroit and outrageous falsehoods.
Among the persons addressed by Bennett were some
pure minded brethren and sisters, who knew in an in-
stant that his teachings were corrupt, and knew by the
Spirit of the Lord that the Prophet was no party to such
an atrocious crime.
Bennett's sins were not long hidden from Joseph's
knowledge. The Prophet acted promptly as was his
wont. He charged the sins of falsehood and seduction
upon Bennett, and the latter was forced to confess. He
humbled himself and with many tears begged for par-
don. Of his own volition he went before Alderman
Daniel H. Wells and made oath that Joseph Smith had
never taught him "anything contrary to the strictest prin-
ciples of the gospel, or of virtue, or of the laws of God
or man, under any circumstance, or upon any occasion,
either directly or indirectly in word or in deed." These
sentiments he reiterated in public assemblages, declaring
that so far as he knew and believed, Joseph's life was
unspotted by one act or word of immorality. On the 17th
of May he resigned the office of mayor, being terrified
by the indignation of insulted men and abused women.
The council accepted his resignation and appointed
Joseph to fill the vacancy.
On the -!5th of May, notice was given to John C. Ben-
nett that his fellowship had been withdrawn from him and
that notice must be given through the press to warn the
public against his evil doings. Weeping, he fell upon
his knees acknowledged his licentious conduct toward
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 397
women in Nauvoo, confessed that he was worthy of the
severest chastisement; but supplicated the brethren to
spare him for his poor old mother's sake, promising that
he would sin no more and would endeavor to atone for
his wrong-doing. Joseph, who had been deeply injured,
was the one to plead for mercy for Bennett, and at his
especial solicitation the public notice was temporarily
withdrawn. But the tears were hypocritical, for Bennett
renewed his machinations; and it became necessary to
warn all people against him as a dangerous man, a liar
and a seducer. Some of the persons who had lent a will-
ing ear to his corrupt counsels were also excommunicated.
Evil reports soon began to come in from other places con-
cerning Bennett, and it was discovered that he had pur-
sued on former occasions the same sinful line of conduct
which caused his fall at Nauvoo.
In June Bennett withdrew from Nauvoo and circulated
lying publications against the truth and the Prophet, and
endeavored to incite a mob to march up against Nauvoo.
The hideous character of this man is fully shown by one
circumstance ; shortly after the Saints settled in Nauvoo
he began to publish a series of letters over the nom de
plame of "Joab, General in Israel," in which he recounted
many of the atrocities of the Missouri persecutions. His
articles breathed a spirit of resentment against the mobo-
crats and their official supporters, but these views be-
longed to Bennett personally and were not shared by any-
one else. When he fled from Nauvoo after the exposure
of his evil deeds, he called attention through the public
prints to the sanguinary utterances of his own letters at-
tributing them to the Saints and attempting by their senti-
ments to show that Joseph and his people were disposed
to violence. Such an act of duplicity is almost unparal-
leled.
Bennett published a book filled with dark falsehoods
about the Prophet and the Saints . It created a momen-
tary excitement; but its author was despised by every-
398 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
body and soon sank into obscurity and distress. He lived
some years in agony, being wrecked in mind and body
and died in poverty and distress.
On the 6th day of May, 1842, ex-Governor Lilburn
W. Boggs was shot and dangerously wounded in his house
at Independence, Jackson County, Missouri. His little
boy had found him lying near an open window, weltering
in blood, with three buckshot in his head. Outside of
the window were footprints and a smoking pistol. The
case was clearly one of attempted assassination. At first
no hope was entertained that Boggs would l^ecover; but
he subsequently took a favorable turn and his life was
saved. A rumor at once went forth charging the affair
upon the ' 'Mormons," although there was not the slightest
circumstance to connect them with the deed. Boggs had
plenty of enemies of a desperate character ; he had shown
the utmost disregard for law, and had glutted his venge-
ful spirit by murder and excitement to murder. What
more natural than that he who had invoked massacre
should fall by the hand of a ruffian taught by the ex-
ample of Boggs himself to hold human life in light es-
teem! At first the charge against the Saints was a
general one. It was safer to say that "Mormons did it,"
than to designate the particular hand which fired the shot.
It was stated that the Prophet had predicted a violent
death for Boggs; and this rumor was circulated by his
enemies to confirm suspicion against the Saints. But he
promptly denied having expressed any such idea.
While this falsehood was being spread through that
region, John C. Bennett and David and Edward Kilbourn
conspired to kidnap Joseph and get him into Missuri. All
the evil forces and powers of persecution united them-
selves at this hour.
Under the Prophet's direction, Governor Reynolds of
Missouri and Governor Carlin of Illinois were informed of
the efforts which were being made in both states to pre-
cipitate mobocratic attacks upon the Saints ; Joseph being
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 399
determined that the officials should not permit this move-
ment to gain head except by their wilful acquiescence or
neglect.
About the 1st of July, 1842, the first "Anti-Mormon"
political convention was held in Hancock County, Illinois.
Its resolutions read like a page out of recent Utah history.
The complete set of candidates were pledged to a man to
receive no support from and to yield no quarter to the
"Mormons;" and then the ticket was commended to the
suffrage of all the citizens of Hancock County. The Prophet
punctured the bubble by a vigorous exposure of the hy-
pocrisy, intolerance and stupidity of such a campaign.
On Sunday, the 3rd day of July, eight thousand peo-
ple assembled in the grove to hear the Prophet and his
brother Hyrum preach. Joseph addressed the vast as-
semblage in the morning and Hyrum in the afternoon.
In the Prophet's journal, under date of July 11th,
1842, he records the fact that he bought a horse of Har-
mon T. Wilson, which he afterwards named Joe Duncan.
This was the famous and beautiful steed which Lieuten-
ant- General Smith afterwards rode at the head of the
Nauvoo Legion. The Prophet had a great fondness for
animals. His horse Charley was widely known among
the people, and with the boys of Nauvoo he was a great
favorite. Speaking of the horse Charley brings to mind
an occurrence which created considerable amusement at
the time. A boy named Wesley Cowle was flying a kite
in one of the streets of Nauvoo. One or two strangers
came up to him and asked him where the Prophet could
be found. At that time officers were said to be coming
from Carthage for the purpose of serving papers upon
Joseph and arresting him. "Wes." Cowle did not
know but the strangers were officers. He said the Prophet
'was not in the city. He and Hyrum had gone to heaven
on "old Charley" and he was flying his kite to send them
their dinner.
On Saturday, the 6th day of August, 1842, while
400 JOSEPH THE PROPHEI.
Joseph was conversing with several of his brethren at
Montrose, Iowa, he uttered a remarkable prophecy which,
like every other prediction from his lips, has been literally
fulfilled. He declared that the Saints would continue to
suffer much affliction and would finally be .driven to the
Rocky Mountains. Many would apostatize; others would
be put to death by their persecutors or lose their lives in
consequence of their exile; and many of those who listened
to him would live to assist in building cities and to see the
Saints become a mighty people in the tops of the Rocky
Mountains.
That prophecy was uttered publicly and was placed
on record at the time.
CHAPTER LIH.
THE PEOPHET CHAEGED WITH BEING AN ACCESSOEY TO THE
ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF BOGGS — OEEIN POETEE
EOCKWELL ACCUSED OF THE CEIME — THE GOVEENOE'S
EEQUISITION— THE AEEEST — THE PEOPHET'S DESIBE FOE
PEACE — WILSON LAW'S BEAVE WOEDS — EMMA SMITH'S
NOBLE APPEAL TO THE GOVEENOE — CAELIN'S FALSE
EEPLY — AM ASA M. LYMAN OEDAINED AN APOSTLE — THEEE
HUNDEED AND EIGHTY FAITHFUL VOLUNTEEES.
Independence was hundreds of miles from Nauvoo. The
vast stretch of country lying between the two cities was
inhabited by a people who had sworn death to any ''Mor-
mon" daring to set foot on Missouri soil. The county of
Jackson was the place from which the Saints had first
been driven in the state, with the loss of all their posses-
sions; and from which the Prophet and his companions,
in 1839, had barely escaped with their lives. On the day
when Lilburn W. Boggs was shot at Independence, Jack-
son County, Missouri, Joseph Smith attended the officers'
drill at Nauvoo. The day before the attempt on Boggs'
life General Adams of Springfield had been with the
Prophet; the day following the attempt, Judge Stephen A.
Douglas and many lawyers of his court, with twelve thou-
sand other people, saw Joseph Smith reviewing the Legion
at Nauvoo.
And yet Lilburn W. Boggs went before a justice of
the peace for Jackson County, one Samuel Weston, and
swore to a complaint charging Joseph Smith with "being
an accessory before the fact, to an assault with intent to
kill made by one Orrin P.Rockwell on Lilburn W. Boggs,
on the night of the 6th of May, 1842." This affidavitwas
28
402 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
not made until the latter part of July; and, during the
interval, Boggs and his friends had ample time to ascer-
tain that no "Mormon" could possibly have been con-
nected with the assault — even if they had not been able to
secure the actual assassin. They had investigated the
subject, for their kidnappers were constantly hovering
around the Prophet's person. If they could have secured
him by force, Boggs would not have committed this per-
jury. But they must get him at all hazards. It would
not do to charge him as principal in the commission of
the deed because hundreds of prominent men in the state
of Illinois could have testified to an alibi. They must
select some person comparatively obscure, upon whom to
charge the deed itself. As this victim they chose Orrin
Porter Eockwell, although he had spent the spring and
summer of 1842 in Illinois ; and they charged the Prophet
as being accessory, without taking the pains to trace any
connection between Rockwell and the deed, or between
the Prophet and Rockwell.
Boggs, having been governor of Missouri, found it easy
to secure a requisition from Governor Reynolds for the
persons of Joseph Smith and Orrin P. Rockwell; and
upon this manifestly absurd and unconstitutional de-
mand, Governor Carlin issued his warrant for their ap-
prehension.
On the 8th day of August, 1842, the deputy sheriff of
Adams County with two assistants, arrested Joseph Smith
and Orrin P. Rockwell, at Nauvoo, by virtue of the
warrant from Carlin upon the requisition of the governor
of Missouri.
The monstrous character of the charge and the pro-
ceedings was clearly apparent, but neither Joseph nor his
fellow-prisoner made any attempt to use force in the
evasion of the illegal process. They succeeded in getting
a writ of habeas corpus; but the officers refused to comply
with its demands for the bodies of Smith and Rockwell
and returned their original writ to Governor Carlin for
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 403
further instruction. No doubt they were aware of the
character of the duty entrusted to them : they were to
arrest as fugitives from the justice of Missouri men who
had not been in that state during or since the commission
of the crime charged, men who were as palpably innocent
of the offense as the officers themselves. Under these
circumstances it is no cause for wonder that they should
have sought renewed orders.
When the officers were gone from Nauvoo, Joseph
and Orrin absented themselves pending preparations for a
legal defense against this unlawful seizure. The sheriff
returned with his aides to Nauvoo on Wednesday, the 10th
of August. Failing to find his prey, he sought to terrify
Emma and others into a disclosure of the Prophet's
whereabouts — making violent threats to be executed in
case of their refusal. William Law contended in argu-
ment with the officers, pronouncing the whole proceedings
to be illegal and ridiculous. So closely did he press the
point that the deputy sheriff acknowledged his own belief
that Joseph was entirely innocent, and that Governor Car-
lin's course was unjustifiable and unconstitutional.
Rockwell, to escape from the Missouri kidnappers,
took a journey to the eastern states where he remained
some months.
Joseph left Nauvoo and spent a little time at his Uncle
John Smith's in Zarahemla. On the night of Thursday,
the 11th of August, he went in a skiff with Brother Erastus
H. Derby to an island in the Mississippi between Nauvoo
and Montrose, where they were met by Emma, Hyrum,
William Law, Newel K. Whitney, George Miller, William
Clayton and Dimick B. Huntington. Joseph's visitors
stated to him the current report that the governor of
Iowa had issued a warrant for his apprehension and that
the sheriff of Lee County was expected any hour to exe-
cute it. The situation was critical; and Joseph's immedi-
ate removal from his Uncle John's seemed necessary. It
was decided that the Prophet should proceed to the house
404 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
of Edward Sayers in Nauvoo, and abide there for a time
The next day William Walker crossed the river from Nau-
voo into Iowa, riding the Prophet's well-known horse Joe
Duncan, to lead the gathered officers and kidnappers
away from the idea that Joseph was on the Nauvoo side
of the river.
On Saturday, the 13th, a letter was received by Hy-
rum from Elder Hollister at Quincy, stating that Governor
Carlin admitted the proceedings to be illegal and declared
that he would not pursue them further. Ford, the agent
appointed to receive Joseph from the hands of the sheriff
and carry him to Missouri, now announced his conclusion
to take the first boat for home, as it was useless to wait
longer. These announcements of Carlin and Ford were
but part of a plan to lead the Prophet from his hiding-
place and get him into the hands of his enemies. It was
learned that Ford had declared his purpose to have a
large force brought from Missouri, and already companies
of marauders were making search in Montrose, Nash-
ville, Keokuk and other places for Joseph, to win the re-
ward of $1,300 which was offered for his capture. William
Walker's rase had been successful, and most of the efforts
were directed to the Iowa side of the river; but the officers
of Illinois, who were also eager to gain the reward, were
determined if possible to have him delivered to them at
Nauvoo. They said they would stay in the city a month
but that they would find him, and if he were not then
forthcoming, they would lay Nauvoo in ashes.
Emma had followed Joseph to the house of Edward
Sayers to nurse him as he was in ill health.
On the 14th of August Joseph wrote to Wilson Law,
who had been elected Major- General of the Nauvoo
Legion, concerning the threats of Missouri mobocrats and
Illinois kidnappers against the welfare of Nauvoo and the
liberty of her citizens. He said:
We will take every measure in our power, and make
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 405
every sacrifice that God or man can require at our hands,
to preserve the peace and safety of the people without
collision. And if sacrificing my own liberty for months
and years were necessary I would bow to my fate with
cheerfulness, and with a due consideration for the lives,
safety and welfare of others. But if this policy cannot
accomplish the desired object * * * we will defend
ourselves to the best advantage we can and to the very
last.
The entire sentiment of this letter indicates the wish
of the Prophet for peace and the supremacy of the law,
and also his courageous intention of submitting supinely
no more to mobocratic violence — murder and plunder.
The answer of Wilson Law is important in a personal
sense. He says:
I do respond with my whole heart to every sentiment
you have so nobly and feelingly expressed ; and while my
heart beats or this hand which now writes is able to draw
and wield a sword, you may depend on its being at your
service in the glorious cause of liberty and truth, ready at
a moment's warning to defend the rights of men, both
civil and religious.
Brave words these ; but they were not sustained by
subsequent deeds. Wilson Law was the Benedict Arnold
of Nauvoo. In less than two years after he wrote that let-
ter, filled with sentiments of intense affection, he aided to
bring the Prophet to his death.
Joseph had considered, during a brief time after the
service of this writ, the advisability of taking his family
and traveling into the distant north-west, to remain for a
season, in order that persecution might be drawn away
from Nauvoo and the people there be spared the horrors
which had attended the Saints in Missouri. Bat when
he found that the hatred of his opponents was extended
to the city and people of Nauvoo, he abandoned all
thought of retreating from the scene. If his absence
could have preserved his brethren and sisters he would
have cheerfully banished himself into the wilderness ; but
406 JOSEPH THE PROPHET
since the danger which menaced them was a common dan-
ger he would remain and share it.
On the night of the 15th of August, Hyrum Smith
and several others came to Joseph's hiding place
and informed him that the officers had threatened to
bring a great force against the city and that the Prophet
would be safer at a distance. The brethren who brought
this message and advice labored under great excitement
and fear for Joseph; but he took occasion to calmly
reprove them for their agitation, and he advised them to
maintain an even and undaunted mind. Their courage
was renewed with this exhibition of his fortitude, and they
gladly remained with him in serenity and joy, listening
to his salutary counsels until two o'clock in the morning.
From his retreat he issued on the 15th an editorial
article for the Times and Seasons under the title of "Per-
secution," in which he analyzes this movement against
himself and the Saints, and demonstrated the ridiculous
illegality and insufficiency of the process.
Emma had declared her willingness to share her hus-
band's exile and self-imposed banishment if necessary.
As that plan was abandoned she offered to visit Governor
Carlin and lay Joseph's case before that functionary. In
answer to this proposition the Prophet wrote to her:
The governor is a fool ; the more we flatter him the
more eager he will be for our destruction. You may write
to him whatever you see proper; but to go and see him I
do not give my consent.
With this permission to write, Emma addressed a
dignified and able communication to Carlin, in which she
calls upon him by virtue of his position as an officer
and by every sense of manliness, to spare Joseph and the
people of Nauvoo from unjust persecution. This letter
alone is sufficient to demonstrate that Emma was a woman
of superior ability, and that she had an exalted appreci-
ation and love for her great husband. She says:
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 407
Was my cause the interest of an individual, or of a
number of individuals, then, perhaps, I might be justified
in remaining silent. But it is not. Nor is it the pecuniary
interest of a whole community alone that prompts me
again to appeal to your Excellency. But, dear sir, it is
for the peace and safety of hundreds, I may safely say, of
this community, who are not guilty of any offense against
the laws of the country; and also the life of my husband,
who has not committed any crime whatever, neither has he
transgressed any of the laws, or any part of the Constitu-
tion of the United States ; neither has he at any time
infringed upon the rights of any man, or of any class of
men, or community of any description. Need I say, he
is not guilty of the crime alleged against him by Governor
Boggs? Indeed, it does seem entirely superfluous for me,
or any one of his friends in this place, to testify to his
innocence of that crime, when so many of the citizens of
your place, and of many other places in this state, as
well as in the territory, do know positively that the state-
ment of Governor Boggs is without the least shadow of
truth; and we do know, and so do many others, that the
prosecution against him has been conducted in an illegal
manner; and every act demonstrates the fact, that all the
design of the prosecution is to throw him into the power
of his enemies, without the least ray of hope that he
would ever be allowed to obtain a fair trial, and that he
would be inhumanly and ferociously murdered, no person
having a knowledge of the existing circumstances, has one
remaining doubt; and your honor will recollect that you
said to me, that you would not advise Mr. Smith ever to
trust himself in Missouri.
And, dear sir, you cannot for one moment indulge
one unfriendly feeling towards him, if he abides by your
counsel. Then, sir, why is it that he should be so
cruelly pursued? Why not give him the privilege of the
laws of this state? When I reflect upon the many cruel
and illegal operations of Lilburn W. Boggs, and the con-
sequent suffering of myself and family, and the incalcu-
lable losses and sufferings of many hundreds who sur-
vived, and many precious lives that were lost, — all the
effect of unjust prejudice and misguided ambition, pro-
duced by misrepresentations and calumny, my bosom
heaves with unutterable anguish. And who, that is as
well acquainted with the facts as the people of the city of
408 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Quincy, would censure me if I should say that my heart
burned with just indignation towards our calumniators as
well as the perpetrators of those horrid crimes?
But happy would I now be to pour out my heart in
gratitude to Governor Boggs, if he had arose with the dig-
nity and authority of the chief executive of the state, and
put down every illegal transaction, and protected the
peaceable citizens and enterprising emigrants from the
violence of plundering outlaws, who have ever been a dis-
grace to the state, and always will, so long as they go
unpunished. Yes, I say, how happy would I be to ren-
der him not only the gratitude of my own heart, but the
cheering effusion of the joyous souls of fathers and moth-
ers, of brothers and sisters, widows and orphans, whom he
might have saved by such a course, from now dropping
under the withering hand of adversity, brought upon them
by the persecutions of wicked and corrupt men.
And now may I entreat your Excellency to lighten
the hand of oppression and persecution which is now laid
upon me and my family, which materially affect the peace
and welfare of this whole community; for let me assure
you that there are many whole families that are entirely
dependent upon the prosecution and success of Mr.
Smith's temporal business for their support; and if he is
prevented from attending to the common avocations of
life, who will employ those ionocent, industrious, poor
people, and provide for their wants?
But, my dear sir, when I recollect the interesting
interview I and my friends had with you, when at your
place, and the warm assurances you gave us of your
friendship and legal protection, I cannot doubt for a mo-
ment your honorable sincerity, but do still expect you to
consider our claims upon your protection from every
encroachment upon our legal rights as loyal citizens, as
we always have been, still are, and are determined always
to be a law-abiding people; and I still assure myself, that
when you are fully acquainted with the illegal proceedings
practiced against us in the suit of Governor Boggs, you will
recall those writs which have been issued against Messrs.
Smith and Rockwell, as you must be aware that Mr.
Smith was not in Missouri, and of course could not have
left there, with many other considerations, which, if duly
considered, will justify Mr. Smith in the course he has
taken.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 409
An now I appeal to your Excellency, as I would unto
a father, who is not only able but willing to shield me and
mine from every unjust prosecution. I appeal to your
sympathies, and beg you to spare me and my helpless
children. I beg you to spare my innocent children the
heart-rending sorrow of again seeing their father unjustly
dragged to prison or to death; I appeal to your affections
as a son and beg you to spare our aged mother — the only
surviving parent we have left — the unsupportable affliction
of seeing her son, whom she knows to be innocent of the
crimes laid to his charge, thrown again into the hands of
his enemies, who have so long sought for his life; in whose
life and prosperity she only looks for the few remaining
comforts she can enjoy. I entreat your Excellency to
spare us these afflictions and many sufferings which cannot
be uttered, and secure to yourself the pleasure of doing
good, and vastly increasing human happiness — secure to
yourself the benediction of the aged, and the gratitude of
the young, and the blessing and veneration of the rising
generation.
The tone of the foregoing also proves that Emma
shared the Prophet's humanitarian views, and it proves
that the sentiments Joseph breathed at home were the sen-
timents he uttered abroad, prophetic and noble. William
Clayton carried this letter to Governor Carlin at Quincy
and delivered it to him in the presence of Judge Ralston.
Carlin read the communication with great attention and
expressed astonishment and admiration at its character.
He first proceeded to announce his certainty that there
was no excitement anywhere but in Nauvoo and among
the "Mormons" themselves: that elsewhere all was quiet
and there was no apprehension of trouble. However, be-
fore Elder Clayton departed, the governor so far forgot
his falsehood as to say that persons were offering their
services every day either in person or by letter to fight the
"Mormons;" and that these warlike volunteers held them-
selves in readiness to come up against Nauvoo whenever
he should call upon them. He had the effrontery to sug-
gest that Joseph should give himself up to the sheriff,
410 JOSEPH^ THE PROPHET.
despite the fact that all the proceedings were notoriously
illegal, and despite the fact that the Prophet's enemies
had sworn to kill him in case he should be acquitted of
the charge made against him. Carlin could not even say
that if Joseph gave himself up his protection from the
mob, in traveling to and from court, would be guaranteed.
On the 18th of August the pursuers had pressed so
closely upon the Prophet's retreat that he departed from
Brother Sayers' house and went to the residence of Carlos
Granger in the north-east part of the city.
On the 19th of August Joseph concluded to go to his
own home and remain for a time.
The next day, Saturday, August 20th, 1842, the
Apostles met in council and ordained Amasa M. Lyman
to be one of the Twelve. Amasa had been ordained an
Elder under Joseph's hands in Hiram, Portage County,
Ohio, in 1832, and had been one of the Prophet's fellow-
prisoners, chained to him with the same manacles, in
Eichmond jail, Missouri.
On Monday, the 29th day of August, 1842, the
Prophet had been absent from the congregation of the
Saints three weeks — hiding from his enemies. On that
day the conference was assembled in the grove near the
temple, when Joseph suddenly appeared upon the stand.
The Saints were delighted to see him ani showed great
animation and cheerfulness. He addressed them with all
his wonted fire, and advised them concerning all the ex-
igencies of their situation. He reminded the people that
the lies of John C. Bennett were being scattered over the
land and called for Elders to go abroad to declare the
truth and refute the slanders which the enemies of the
Prophet and the Church were circulating. While he talked
an indescribable transport of joy was manifested by the
assembly; and when he concluded three hundred and
eighty Elders volunteered to go immediately into the east
upon the proposed mission of enlightenment.
CHAPTER LIV.
ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE JOSEPH — REWARD OFFERED — TRICKS TO
ENTRAP THE PROPHET — HE SUBMITS TO ARREST — VISITS
GOVERNOR FORD — HIS EXAMINATION AND RELEASE — A
TRAITOR'S THREAT.
The interposition of Providence saved Joseph from the
hands of his enemies on the 3rd day of September, 3842.
A considerable party of mobocrats, joined with some
officers of the law, left Quincy on the 2nd of the month,
intending to reach Nauvoo in the night, surround the
Prophet's house and seize him in his bed. Although
their road lay plainly before them, and to lose it would
seem impossible, yet they wandered from the track and
were many hours late in reaching their destination. About
noon on the 3rd, Deputy- Sheriff Pitman with two other
men came stealthily upon Joseph's residence and entered
it while he was at dinner with his family. Before they
reached the room where the Prophet was they met John
JBoynton and demanded that he should reveal Joseph's
hiding place. While Boynton was making some evasive
answer, the Prophet walked out through a rear door of
the mansion, and entering a patch of tall corn in the
garden, passed serenely through to the residence of Newel
K. Whitney.
In the meantime the officers proceeded to search the
house. Emma demanded a sight of the warrant under
which they were proceeding. Pitman said he had none
authorizing him to search, but insisted upon going through
the house. After Emma felt sure that Joseph had es-
caped, she permitted them to hunt through the building.
Again that night two parties made another search of
412 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
the residence but failed to discover him whom they wished
to make their prey.
About nine o'clock in the evening the Prophet went
to the house of Edward Hunter, where he received a joyous
welcome and where it was believed that he could be kept
safe from the hands of his enemies . News was brought
that the Missourians were again moving in force to obtain
his person, and two requisitions were issued, one upon
the governor of Illinois and the other upon the governor
of Iowa.
From his retirement, the Prophet sent out comforting
epistles to the Saints. In one letter, written from the
residence of Elder Hunter under date of September 6th,
1842, the Prophet said:
* * * * * It is sufficient to know, in
this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse, un-
less there is a welding link of some kind or other between
the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other:
and behold, what is the subject? It is baptism for the
dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect;
neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can
they or we be made perfect without those who have died
in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of
the dispensation of the fullness of times, which dispensa-
tion is now beginning to usher in, that a whole, and com-
plete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensa-
tions, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place,
and be revealed, from the days of Adam even to the pres-
ent time; and not only this, but those things which have
never been revealed from the foundation of the world, but
have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be
revealed unto babes and sucklings in this the dispensation
of the fullness of times.
Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have
received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from
heaven, and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings
for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the
dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of
good things, and that say unto Zion, Behold! thy God
reigneth. As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge
of God descend upon them! *
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 413
Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go
forward, and not backward. Courage, brethren, and on,
on, to victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceed-
ing glad.' Let the earth break forth into singing. Let
the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King
Immanuel, who hath ordained before the world was, that
which would enable us to redeem them out of their pris-
ons; for the prisoners shall go free.
Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry
aloud ; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of
your eternal King. And ye rivers and brooks and
rills flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the
trees of the field praise the Lord ; and ye solid rocks weep
for joy. And let the sun, moon and the morning stars
sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy.
And let the eternal creations declare His name for ever
and ever. And again I say, how glorious is the voice we
hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and sal-
vation and honor, and immortality and eternal life, king-
doms, principalities and powers!
Behold the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who
can abide the day of His coming, and who can stand when
He appeareth?
The brethren constantly visited him in his retirement,
and he gave them instructions and counsels to suit every
need.
On the 10th day of September the Prophet returned
to his home, believing that he would be as safe there as
anywhere else, since his enemies would no longer expect
him to take such a risk.
About the 1st of October Governor Carlin issued a
proclamation offering a reward of two hundred dollars
each for the persons of Joseph Smith and Orrin P.
Rockwell. At the same time Governor Reynolds of Mis-
souri promised an additional price for the same purpose.
On the day when this news was brought to the Prophet
his wife Emma was dangerously sick. She continued to
grow worse until the 5th, when fear of her death was
entertained. The Prophet had her baptized twice in the
414 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET.
river; and she began to mend and on the day following,
hope was restored to the family.
Sidney Eigdon and Elias Bigbee reported at Nanvoo
that the Missourians were gathering to unite with the
militia of Illinois to secure the Prophet's person. They
had learned that Carlin had intentionally issued an illegal
writ, expecting thereby to draw Joseph to Carthage where
he would be discharged under habeas corpus proceedings
and fall at once into the hands of his waiting enemies,
who were to be there in numbers to seize and carry him
away to Missouri without further ceremony. Sidney Rig-
don was told by Stephen A. Douglas that the governor's
proclamation, offering a reward to any man or set of men
to secure Joseph's person, would give as much authority
as a legal warrant could to an officer.
It seemed likely that a general search would be insti-
tuted in Nauvoo, and Joseph concluded to leave his home
once more and go into more remote retirement. On the
night of Friday, the 7th of October, 1842, he started away
from Nauvoo, in company with Elders John Taylor, Wilson
Law and John D. Parker, traveling through that night
and a part of the next day when, greatly wearied, they
arrived at Father Taylor's house. Elder John Taylor
was very dangerously ill at this time, being prostrated
with fever. The message from the Prophet that he
desired Elder Taylor to accompany him as a guide to
Father Taylor's came to him when he was in bed and too
weak to be capable of much exertion. It was a task
utterly beyond his strength, and to human appearance it
might cost him his life if he attempted it. But Joseph
had sent him word that the Lord would strengthen him
and heal him, and he would be able to perform the
journey. Elder Taylor believed him and prepared to
start. He was so weak that he had to be lifted on his
horse. The night was dark and he was not very famil-
iar with the road, and they lost their way; but the prom-
ise of the servant of the Lord to Elder Taylor was ful-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 415
filled. He endured the fatigue of the journey excellently
and they reached his father's house safely.
The Prophet remained away until Thursday, the 20th
of October, when he returned to his family and the breth-
ren who needed his presence and advice.
In this same month a written opinion was received
from Justin Butterfield, United States attorney for the
district of Illinois, in, which he proved the illegality of the
requisition made by the governor of Missouri upon the
governor of Illinois for the surrender of the Prophet. In
the same document he showed in a very lucid manner
what were the rights and privileges of the people of
Nouvoo, pertaining to writs of habeas corpus issued from
their municipal court, and the full power and authority of
the city council. This opinion removes at once and for-
ever all shadow of suspicion that the Prophet was acting
in a disrespectful manner toward the laws of his country.
After one day at Nauvoo, Joseph returned to Father
Taylor's: but in a week he was called home to find Emma
worse. With his presence her health was soon renewed.
On Sunday, the 30th of October, the Saints met in
worship upon a temporary floor in the temple. The
Prophet was expected to address them, but on that day he
was so ill as to be unable to be present. Two days later,
while driving out with his three children and William
Clayton, the carriage was upset on the hillside. Joseph
was thrown some distance, but all of the little ones were
pinioned under the shattered vehicle. As soon as he
could rise he rushed to rescue his boys and found them
unhurt. The escape was marvelous, and he thanked his
Maker therefor.
The multiplicity of other business upon his hands
made it impossible for Joseph to continue as editor of the
Times and Seasons. On the 15th day of November, 1842,
he appointed Apostle John Taylor to that position.
Carlin's term as governor closed in 1842, and on the
8th day of December of that year Thomas Ford, his sue-
416 JOSEPH THE PROPHE'l.
cessor, delivered an inaugural address to the Senate and
House of representatives of the state in which he declared
that the charters granted to the people of Nauvoo were
objectionable to other citizens of the state, and that these
charters should be modified and restricted.
On the next day, the 9th, Hyrum Smith started for
Springfield, with a number of other brethren, to present
testimony to the governor that Joseph was in Illinois at
the time Boggs was shot, and consequently could not have
been a fugitive from the justice of Missouri. It was
hoped by this means, to procure a recall by Governor Ford
of the writs and proclamations issued by Carlin. On the
day of the departure of these brethren the Prophet began
personally to haul and cut wood for the poor of Nauvoo ;
and this labor of love and charity was continued vigor-
ously and cheerfully as opportunity permitted. About
this same time he began to read German in company with
Apostle Orson Hyde.
The friends of the Prophet called upon Governor
Ford at Springfield on Wednesday, the 14th day of De-
cember, 1842, accompanied by Mr. Butterfield, United
States district attorney. Butterfield read to the governor
several papers in the case — including the affidavit of
Boggs, the writs and proclamation of Carlin, the petition
of the Prophet, and also his own written opinion upon
the question at issue. In reply, the governor stated that
he believed the writ issued by Carlin was illegal, but he
hesitated to interfere with the act of his predecessor. Ford
on the 17th of December, directed the following letter to
Joseph :
Your petition requesting me to recind Governor Car-
lin 's proclamation and recall the writ issued against you
has been received and duly considered. I submitted your
case and all the papers relating thereto to the judges of
the Supreme Court, or at least to six of them who hap-
pened to be present. They were unanimous in the opinion
that the requisition from Missouri was illegal and insufficient
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 417
to cause your arrest, but were equally divided as to the pro-
priety and justice of my interference with the acts of Govern-
or Carlin. It being, therefore, a case of great doubt as to
my power, and I not wishing even in an official station,
to assume the exercise of doubtful powers, and inasmuch
as you have a sure and effectual remedy in the courts, I
have decided to decline interfering. I can only advise
that you submit to the laws and have a judicial investiga-
tion of your rights. If it should become necessary, for
this purpose, to repair to Springfield, I do not believe
that there will be any disposition to use illegal violence
towards you, and I would feel it my duty in your case, as
in the case of any other person, to protect you with any
necessary amount of force from mob violence whilst
asserting your rights before the courts, going to and re-
turning.
This advice was repeated in communications of the
same date from Justin Butterfield and General Adams to
the Prophet; as these gentlemen thought that he would
be certain of discharge and protection.
Joseph, after a few days of deliberation and prayer,
concluded to pursue the course suggested. He allowed
himself to be arrested under the governor's proclamation,
on the 26th day of December by General Wilson Law.
In custody of Law, and accompanied by Hyrum Smith,
Willard Richards, John Taylor and others, the Prophet
departed for Springfield on Tuesday, the 27th day of De-
cember.
Joseph and his party arrived at Springfield on the
afternoon of Friday, December 30th; and the next morn-
ing under direction of his attorney, Butterfield, he signed
a petition to Judge Pope for a writ of habeas corpus.
Upon the brief and vigorous showing made by the lawyer
the writ was granted at once; and, the Prophet being
there, it was served and returned to the court in one
minute. Bail was granted and General James Adams and
General Wilson Law signed the bonds for the Prophet, in
the sum of $2,000 each, Monday the 2nd day of January
being set for the trial. While these preliminaries were
29
418 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
being arranged, a vast crowd was gathering in the court
room curious to see the famous Prophet. As Joseph and
his friends were passing through the building, one of the
multitude observed:
There goes Smith the Prophet, and a good-looking
man he is.
Another said:
Every one that takes his part is as damned a ras-
cal as he is.
A riot would have ensued and a mob would have
been raised to do violence upon the Prophet and his
friends, but for the vigorous exertion of Marshal Prentice.
After the crowd was dispersed so that the Prophet
could get clear of the building, he walked for some dis-
tance between living walls of staring people. In company
with his attorney, Mr. Butterfield, and Elder Willard
Richards he went to the American House to see Governor
Ford who was sick. In the course of their conversation
Ford remarked: "I am not religiously minded."
Joseph responded: "I have no narrow creed to cir-
cumscribe my mind ; therefore the sectarians do not like
me."
When the visit closed the governor said: "Well, from
reports, I had reason to think that the Mormons were a
peculiar people, different from other people, having horns
or something of the kind; but I found that they looked
like other people; indeed, I think Mr. Smith a very good-
looking man."
The interest and curiosity concerning the Prophet
grew more intense throughout the day, after the news of
his presence became generally circulated. In the after-
noon a team ran away, dashing past the state house.
Some one raised the cry:
away!
Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, is running
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 419
So great was the excitement occasioned by this
announcement that the House of Representatives ad-
journed on the instant, to give the members an opportunity
to get into the street and participate in the supposed sen-
sation.
The next morning was Sunday, the 1st day of
January, 1843; when the speaker of the house visited the
Prophet and tendered the hall of representatives for re-
ligious service. Joseph appointed Apostles Orson Hyde
and John Taylor to preach to the people; and a large con-
gregation gathered to hear the sermons and feast their
eyes upon Joseph Smith.
On Monday, before going to court, Joseph prophesied
in the presence of Judge Adams that, in the name of the
Lord, he would not go to Missouri dead or alive.
A postponement was had of the case at the request of
the attorney-general of the state until the morning of
Wednesday, January 4th. During the intervening two
days the Prophet made many friends. He was invited to
the houses of the most distinguished people, and received
as much deferential attention as would have been ac-
corded by faithful Catholics to a prince of the church of
Rome.
At nine o'clock on the morning of the day set for the
trial Judge Pope appeared upon the bench with ten ladies
by his side, who had been attracted by the novelty of the
case and the fame of the petitioner. This Judge Pope
was the father of Major-General Pope who, in the War of
the Rebellion, became so distinguished for his gallant ser-
vices. An effort was made by Josiah Lamborn, attorney-
general of the state of Illinois, to have the proceedings
dismissed, and the prisoner remanded to the custody of
the Missouri officers on the ground that the court lacked
jurisdiction. After the motion of Lamborn had been re-
solutely and eloquently resisted by Butterfield, the court
decided that it had jurisdiction.
Mr. Butterfield then made a strong plea for the dis-
420 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
charge of the defendant, and proceeded to recount the
enormities of these attempts upon the Prophet's liberty.
He said that Governor Reynolds had subscribed to a lie
in making his demand for the Prophet, as appeared from
the papers, and he averred that Governor Carlin would
not have given up his dog on such a requisition. That an
attempt should be made to deliver up a man who had not
been out of the state during or since the commission of
the offense, was a blow at the sacred liberty of the citizen
and the strength of our institutions. After reminding the
court that, if the Prophet's rights were wantonly trampled
upon under color of law, the fate visited upon him might
in turn fall upon others — even upon the judge — for the
precedent would be followed; he concluded by saying:
1 do not think that the defendant ought, under any
circumstances, be given up to Missouri. It is a matter of
history that he and his people have been murdered or
driven from that state. If he goes there it is only to be
assassinated, and he had better be sent to the gallows
here. He is an innocent and unoffending man.
The opinion of Judge Pope in deciding the case was
very lengthy and comprehensive. It announced the dis-
charge of the Prophet, and completely annihilated the
pretended grounds upon which the requisition was made
from Missouri and the warrant and proclamation issued
in Illinois. In conclusion his Honor said:
No case can arise demanding a more searching scru-
tiny into the evidence than in cases arising under this part
of the constitution of the United States. It is proposed
to deprive a freeman of his liberty; to deliver him into
the custody of strangers; to be transported to a foreign
state; to be. arraigned for trial before a foreign tribunal,
governed by laws unknown to him; separated from his
friends, his family, and his witnesses, unknown and un-
knowing. Had he an immaculate character, it would not
avail him with strangers. Such a spectacle is appalling
enough to challenge the strictest analysis.
The framers of the constitution were not insensible of
JOSEPH THE. PK0PHET. 421
the importance of courts possessing the confidence of the
parties. They therefore provided that citizens of different
states might resort to the Federal Courts in civil causes.
How much more important that the criminal have con-
fidence in his judge and jury. Therefore, before the ca-
pias is issued, the officers should see that the case is made
out to warrant it. Again, Boggs was shot on the 6th of
May. The affidavit was made on the 25th of July follow-
ing. Here was time for enquiry, which would confirm
into certainty, or dissipate his suspicions. He had time
to collect facts to be had before a grand jury, or be in-
corporated in his affidavit.
The court is bound to assume that this would have
been the course of Mr. Boggs but that his suspicions were
light and unsatisfactory. The affidavit is insufficient.
First, because it is not positive; second, because it charges
no crime; third, because it charges no crime committed in
the state of Missouri. Therefore he did not flee from the
justice of the state of Missouri, nor has he taken refuge
in the state of Illinois.
The proceedings in this affair, from the affidavit to
the arrest, afford a lesson to governors and judges whose
action may hereafter he invoked in cases of this character.
The affidavit simply says that the affiant was shot with
intent to kill; and he believes that Smith was accessory
before the fact to the intended murder, and is a citizen or
resident of the state of Illinois. It is not said who shot
him, or that the person was unknown. The governor of
Missouri, in his demand, calls Smith a fugitive from
justice, charged with being accessory before the fact to
an assault, with intent to kill, made by one 0. P. Rock-
well, on Lilburn W. Boggs, in this state (Missouri). This
governor expressly refers to the affidavit as his authority
for that statement.
Boggs, in his affidavit, does not call Smith a fugitive
from justice, nor do^s he state a fact from which the gov-
ernor had a right to infer it. Neither does the name of
0. P. Rockwell appear in the affidavit, nor does Boggs
say Smith fled. Yet the governor says he has fled to the
state of Illinois. But Boggs only says he is a citizen or
resident of the state of Illinois. The governor of Illinois,
responding to the demand of the Executive of Missouri
for the arrest of Smith, issues his warrant for the arrest
of Smith, reciting that "whereas Joseph Smith stands
422 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
charged by the affidavit of Lilburn W. Boggs with being
accessory before the fact to an assault, with intent to kill,
made by one 0. P. Rockwell, on Lilburn W. Boggs, on
the night of the 6th day of -May, 1842, at the county of
Jackson, in said state of Missouri; and that the said
Joseph Smith has fled from the justice of said state, and
taken refuge in the- state of Illinois."
Those facts do not appear by the affidavit of Boggs.
On the contrary, it does not assert that Smith was acces-
sory to 0. P. Rockwell, nor that he had fled from the
justice of the state of Missouri, and taken refuge in the
state of Illinois.
The Court can alone regard the facts set forth in the
affidavit of Boggs as having any legal existence. The
mis-recitals and over- statements in the requisition and
warrant are not supported by oath, and cannot be received
as evidence to deprive a citizen of his liberty and trans-
port him to a foreign state for trial. For these reasons
Smith must be discharged.
Thereupon Governor Ford certified that there was no
further cause for the arrest or detention of Joseph Smith
by virtue of any proclamation or warrant issued by the
Executive of Illinois; and that, since the judgment of the
circuit court, all such proclamations and warrants were
inoperative and void.
After the conclusion of these proceedings and the set-
tlement of matters attendant, the Prophet returned to
Nauvoo on the afternoon of the 10th of January. The
Saints were delighted to welcome him safe home, and the
Twelve Apostles issued an epistle to the Saints, appoint-
ing Tuesday, the 17th day of January, 1843, as a day of
humiliation, fasting,praise, prayer and thanksgiving before
the great God for His mercies, and supplicating for a
continued outpouring of His Holy Spirit upon the Prophet
and Saints.
The promised joy of this festival was marred by the
threats of a traitor. On the 15th of January Sidney Rig-
don received the following letter from John 0. Bennett:
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 423
Springfield, Illinois, January 10, 1843.
Mr. Sidney Rigdon and Orson Pratt:
Dear Friends: — It is a long time since I have written
to you, and I should now much desire to see you, but I
leave tonight for Missouri, to meet the messenger charged
with the arrest of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Lyman
Wight and others, for murder, burglary, treason, etc.,
etc., who will be demanded in a few days, on new
indictments, found by the grand jury of a called court on
the original evidence, and in relation to which a nolle
prosequi was entered by the district attorney.
New proceedings have been gotten up on the old
charges, and no habeas corpus can save them. We shall
try Smith on the Boggs case, when we get him into Mis-
souri. The war goes bravely on ; and, although Smith
thinks he is now safe, the enemy is near, even at the door.
He has awakened the wrong passenger. The Governor
will relinquish Joseph at once on the new requisition.
There is but one opinion on the case, and that is, nothing
can save Joseph on a new requisition and demand pred-
icated on the old charges on the institution of new
writs. He must go to Missouri; but he shall not be
harmed, if he is not guilty; but he is a murderer, and
must suffer the penalty of the law. Enough on this subject.
I hope that both your kind and amiable families
are well, and you will please to give them all my best
respects. I hope to see you all soon. When the officer
arrives, I shall be near at hand. I shall see you all again.
Please to write me at Independence immediately.
Yours respectfully,
John C. Bennett.
Sidney perused the cowardly missive, and instead of
warning the Prophet, he gave the communication to Orson
Pratt, but the latter at once presented it to the Prophet,
that he might know of the further plot against his life.
Orson Pratt wanted no correspondence with Bennett, the
traitor, and had no fellowship with his works of darkness.
On Wednesday, the 18th day of January, 1843,
Joseph and Emma entertained a large company of brethren
and sisters at their house to celebrate the fifteenth anni-
versary of their wedding.
CHAPTER LV.
A BREATHING SPELL — JOSEPH'S ANTICIPATION OF HIS SACRI-
FICE—MANY PROPHECIES AND AN IMPORTANT THEOLOG-
ICAL EPOCH IN THE EARLY PART OF 1843 — WRESTLING
AND OTHER MANLY SPORTS — EXTRACTS FROM HIS SERMONS
— ATTACK ON THE NAUVOO CHARTER — THE LULL WAS
BRIEF.
One of the very few seasons of peace in Joseph's life now
dawned upon him. It was none the less appreciated be-
cause it was brief.
The early part of 1843 is one of the marked epochs in
the theological history of the Church. The Prophet,
having his unrestrained liberty, was enabled to give to
the Saints in writings, sermons and in personal conversa-
tions, many prophecies and principles for spiritual and
temporal guidance.
Joseph must have known that this was but the lull
which precedes the fiercer outburst of the tempest, for in
January, 1843, outlining some work which he designed
that the Twelve should perform very soon thereafter, he
promised his assistance and leadership to them, with this
very significant condition, upon which he placed em-
phasis:
"If I live."
A few days later, on Sunday, the 22nd day of Janu-
ary, he preached from the stand which had been erected
inside the temple walls, a temporary floor having been put
in that building for the purpose of holding meetings there.
President Wilford Woodruff made a synopsis of the ser-
mon, in which occurs the following:
God Almighty is my shield; and what can man do if
JOSEPH THE PEOPHET. 425
God is my friend? 1 shall not be sacrificed until my time
comes; then I shall be offered freely.
The Prophet recorded this same prophecy concerning
his own fate in his journal, showing thereby that he rec-
ognized its weight and foresaw its fulfillment.
Among the many prophecies of this period was one
coacerning Orrin P. Rockwell, who had been captured,
imprisoned and maltreated in Missouri. There seemed no
human possibility of Porter Rockwell's deliverance; his
murder was decreed before his arrest ; and no one of the
brethren would be permitted to enter Missouri to assist
him with advice or bail, under penalty of death. And
yet on the 15th day of March the Prophet publicly
declared :
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I prophecy that
Orrin P. Rockwell will get away honorably from the Mis-
sourians.
In the same month of March, Joseph, in company
with Elders Willard Richards and Wilford Woodruff, dis-
covered in the early evening a stream of light in the south-
west quarter of the heavens. Its rays were in the form of
a broad sword with the hilt downward; the blade was
raised, pointing from the west to the south-west, at an
angle of forty-five degrees, and extended nearly to the
zenith. As they beheld this marvel in the sky Joseph said:
As sure as there is a God who sits enthroned in the
heavens, and as sure as He ever spoke by me. so sure will
there be a bloody war; and the flaming sword in the
heavens is the certain sign thereof.
Two or three weeks later, he prophesied in the pres-
ence of Elder Orson Hyde and others that a struggle in
which much blood would flow would begin in South Caro-
lina, and would probably arise through the slave question.
This was a repetition of the revelation which he had
received and announced more than ten years earlier.
426 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
A delegation of young men from New York came to
see Joseph at Nauvoo in February, 1843, and with great
respect solicited his views concerning Millerism and the
coming of Christ, and the day of judgment, which Miller
had fixed for April 3rd, 1843. The Prophet warned them
that Miller was in error; that before Christ should come
the prophecies must all b& fulfilled, the sun be darkened and
the moon turned to blood. A Chicago paper of that time
published a certificate of one Hyrum Reading, of Ogle
County, Illinois , stating that he had seen the sign of the
Son of Man; and the editor of the paper declares that
Joseph Smith had met his match. The Prophet re-
sponded that Mr. Reading had not seen the sign of the
Son of Man, as foretold by Jesus, neither had any man
nor will any man, until after the fulfillment of the proph-
ecies; and he declared:
Hear this, oh earth! the Lord will not come to reign
over the righteous in this world in 1843, nor until every-
thing for the bridegroom is ready.
Joseph was once praying very earnestly to know the
time of the coming of the Savior, when he heard a. voice
saying:
Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-
five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man.
Therefore let this suffice and trouble me no more.
In recording this divine utterance, the Prophet says
that he was left thus without being able to decide whether
this coming referred to the Millennium or to some previous
appearing, or whether he should die and thus see the face
of Christ. Joseph would have been eighty- five years old
on the 23rd day of December, 1890; and he says:
I believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be
any sooner than that time.
The question was proposed at a lyceum which Joseph
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 427
attended whether the kingdom of God was set up before
the day of Pentecost or not till then? The Prophet's
answer was recorded at some length by Apostle Wilford
Woodruff from whose synopsis the following paragraphs
are taken :
Some say the kingdom of God was not set up until
the day of Pentecost, and that John did not preach the
baptism of repentance for the remission of sins ; but I
say, in the name of the Lord, that the kingdom of God
was set up on the earth from the days of Adam to the
present time.
Whenever there has been a righteous man on earth
unto whom God revealed His word and gave power and
authority to administer in His name, and where there is
a priest of God — a minister who has power and authority
from God to administer in the ordinances of the gospel
and officiate in the Priesthood of God, there is the king-
dom of God; and, in consequence of rejecting the gospel
of Jesus Christ and the Prophets whom God has sent, the
judgments of God have rested upon people, cities and
nations, in various ages of the world, which was the case
with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were
destroyed for rejecting the prophets.
Now I will give my testimony. I care not for man I
speak boldly and faithfully, and with authority. How is
it with the kingdom of God? Where did the kingdom of
God begin! Where there is no kingdom of God, there is
no salvation. What constitutes the kingdom of God?
Where there is a prophet, a priest or a righteous man unto
whom God gives His oracles, there is the kingdom of God;
and where the oracles of God are not, there the kingdom
of God is not.
In these remarks, I have no allusion to the kingdoms
of the earth. We will keep the laws of the land; we do
not speak against them; we never have spoken against
them; though we can scarcely mention the state of Mis-
souri and our persecutions there, but that the cry goes
forth that we are guilty of treason, which is false. We
speak of the kingdom of God on the earth ; not the king-
doms of men.
These emphatic statements show the loyal position
428 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
which the Prophet maintained toward his country, and
the view he had concerning governments in general.
The Prophet gave his brethren three grand keys
whereby to know whether any supernatural visitor was
from God or from Satan.
When a messenger comes, saying he has a message
from God, offer him your hand, and request him to shake
hands with you. If he be an angel, he will do so, and
you will feel his hand. If he be the spirit of a just man
made perfect, he will come in his glory; for that is the
only way he can appear. Ask him to shake hands with
you, but he will not move, because it is contrary to the
order of heaven for a just man to deceive; but he will still
deliver his message. If it be the devil as an angel of
light, when you ask him to shake hands, he will offer you
his hand, and you will not feel- anything: you may there-
fore detect him.
In the midst of these exalted labors, Joseph took great
delight in mingling with the brethren in manly sports.
On Saturday, the 28th day of January, 1843, he played a
fine game of ball at Nauvoo with his brethren. During
the same winter some of his friends saw him teaching his
little son Frederick to slide upon the ice; and the Prophet
enjoyed the exhilaration and was as merry as a boy. On
Monday, the 13th day of March, 1843, Joseph met William
Wall, the most expert wrestler of Ramus, Illinois, and
had a friendly bout with him. He easily conquered Wall
who up to that time had been a champion. About the
same time he had a contest at pulling sticks with Justus
A. Morse, reputed to be the strongest man in that region.
The Prophet used but one hand and easily defeated
Morse.
One evening in March, twenty-seven children were
brought to a meeting to be blessed. Joseph took great
joy in laying his hands upon the heads of the innocent
little ones, and he blessed nineteen of them himself with
great fervency. He turned pale and lost his strength, and
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 429
was compelled to retire, leaving the meeting and its duties
to his brethren. Elder Jedediah M. Grant inquired of
him the next day concerning the cause of the strange
manifestation. The Prophet replied that as he blessed the
little ones, it was made known to him that Lucifer would
exert an influence to destroy them, and he strove with all
his faith to seal upon them security of their lives and
virtue upon earth. So much power emanated from him
into the children that he became weak. Joseph referred
to the case of the woman who touched the hem of the
garment of Jesus, by which her issue of blood was
staunched, and the Savior said: "Somebody hath touched
me; for I perceive that virtue has gone out of me."
Joseph told Elder Grant that the virtue referred to
by the Savior was the spirit of life ; and men who exer-
cised great faith in administering to the sick, blessing
little children, and making confirmations were liable to
become weakened.
On Monday, the 6th day of February, 1843, the
Prophet was elected mayor of Nauvoo by unanimous vote;
at the same time Orson Spencer, Daniel H. Wells, George
A. Smith and Stephen Markham were elected aldermen;
and Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, Orson Hyde, Orson
Pratt, Sylvester Emmons, Heber C. Kimball, Benjamin
Warrington, Daniel Spencer and Brigham Young were
elected councillors.
Joseph put his accustomed vigor into his duties as
chief officer of the municipality. At the first meeting of
the council after the election Joseph urged the necessity
of relieving the city of unnecessary expenses and burdens,
and warned the members against demanding pay for every
little service rendered. At the same meeting it was re-
solved to establish markets in the city; and the Prophet
spoke earnestly about the regulation of prices, so that the
poor should not be oppressed; that, while the farmer
should have fair compensation for his products, the
430 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
mechanic should also have justice in purchasing the
necessaries of life.
If the principles of official integrity and economy, and
the principles of fair dealing and mutual protection be-
tween producers and dealers, which the Prophet taught at
this time could have general acceptance and obedience
throughout the world, what a wonderful stride would be
taken toward the social redemption of the human race!
Politics would be purified — for only men of integrity and
nobility of character could or would hold office. Pauper-
ism, that fruitful source of crime, would be practically
unknown. Public economy and private prosperity would
go hand in hand.
On the 2nd day of March, 1843, the House of Repre-
sentatives of the Illinois Legislature took up a bill to
repeal a part of the Nauvoo city charter. There was a
determination on the part of the majority to push the bill
to its passage; and all the protests of a few fair-minded
and courageous men availed nothing. Representative
Thomas B. Owen compared the charter of Nauvoo with
those of other cities and showed that this bill proposed to
repeal the same powers in the Nauvoo charter which ex-
isted in every other charter in the state. He declared
positively of his own knowledge that good order and in-
dustry characterized the "Mormons," and he made no
doubt that they were much abused. He protested against
such a malicious, and contemptible course of cowardice as
that which was proposed. Nbxt day the bill was put upon
its passage; and William Smith of Nauvoo, who was a
representative in the Assembly, moved an amendment to
the title of the measure so that it would read— "A bill for
an act to humbug the citizens of Nauvoo." The motion
created great sensation, in the midst of which William
declared that he considered the amendment perfectly de-
scribed the contents of the bill, and he was anxious that
things should be called by their right names. Naturally
the chair decided that such an amendment, kt not being
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 431
respectful," was not in order, and the bill with its original
title was then passed. On the 4th of March the Senate
considered this same measure and refused to pass it.
Hyrum brought information to the mayor on the even-
ing of the 25th of March, 1843, upon which Joseph issued
a proclamation as follows:
Whereas it is reported that there now exists a
band of desperadoes, bound by oaths of secrecy, under
severe penalties in case any member of the combination
divulges their plans of stealing and conveying properties
from station to station, up and down the Mississippi and
other routes: And
Whereas it is reported that the fear of the execution
of the pains and penalties of their secret oath on their
persons prevents some members of said secret association
(who have, through falsehood and deceit, been drawn into
their snares,) from divulging the same to the legally-con-
stituted authorities of the land :
Know ye, therefore, that I, Joseph Smith, Mayor of
the city of Nauvoo, will grant and insure protection
against all personal mob violence to each and every citizen
of this city who will come before me and truly make
known the names of all such abominable characters as are
engaged in said secret combination for stealing, or are ac-
cessory thereto, in any manner. And I respectfully solicit
the co-operation of all ministers of justice in this and the
neighboring states to ferret out a band of thievish outlaws
from our midst.
Joseph was determined to protect Nauvoo from plun-
derers without, and from thieves within, and this determi-
nation expressed in the document just quoted was so vigor-
ously enforced that the bad elements, in self protection,
combined against him. This league was one of the fac-
tors in the culminating persecutions of his life.
In the beginning of April the Prophet went to Ramus
accompanied by Apostle Orson Hyde and William Clayton,
to preach to the Saints there. Among many important
utterances contained in his sermons of that time are these:
432 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
When the Savior shall appear, we shall see Him as He
is. We shall see that He is a man like ourselves; and that
same sociality which exists among us here will exist among
us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which
glory we do not now enjoy. {John xiv: 2, 3.) The appear-
ing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal
appearance ; and the idea that the Father and the Son
dwell in a man's heart is an old sectarian notion, and is
false.
In answer to the question, u Is not the reckoning of
God's time, angel's time, prophet's time, and man's time
according to the planet on which they reside?" I answer,
yes. But there are no angels who minister to this earth
but those who do belong or have belonged to it. The
angels do not reside on a planet like this earth ; but they
reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of
glass and fire, where all things for their glory are mani-
fest — past, present and future, and are continually before
the Lord. The place where God resides is a great Urim
and Thummim. This earth, in its sanctified and immortal
state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim
and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon,
whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or
all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those
who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ's. Then
the white stone mentioned in Revelation ii: 17, will be-
come a Urim and Thummim to each individual who
receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order
of kingdoms, even all kingdoms, will be made known; and
a white stone is given to each of those who come into the
celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which
no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name
is the key word.
* •* * # * * *
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in
this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection; and if a
person gains more knowledge and intelligence, in this life
through his diligence and obedience than another, he will
have so much the advantage in the world to come. There
is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foun-
dations of this world, upon which all blessings are pred-
icated; and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is
by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 433
The Father has a body of flesh and tones as tangible
as man's; the Son also: but the Holy Ghost has not a
body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of spirit.
Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. A
man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend
upon him and not tarry with him.
In May, while returning through Carthage from his
mission to Ramus, Joseph dined with Stephen A. Doug-
las, who was there holding court. After dinner, the
Prophet, at the request of Douglas, gave a minute history
of the persecutions of the Saints in Missouri. The judge
listened attentively and pronounced unstinted condemna-
tion upon the conduct of Boggs and the other mobocrats
of Missouri, and declared that they ought to be punished.
Joseph concluded by saying that this wholesale plunder
and extermination was a foul and corroding blot upon the
fair fame of the Republic, the very thought of which
would have caused the patriotic framers of the Constitu-
tion to hide their faces in sorrow and shame. He proph-
esied to Douglas :
Judge, you will aspire to the presidency of the United
States, and if you ever turn your hand against the Latter-
day Saints, you will feel the weight of the hand of the
Almighty upon you; and you will live to see and know
that I have testified the truth to you, for the conversation
of this day will be with you through life.
These words of the Prophet to Judge Douglas have
been fulfilled to -the very letter. Douglas did aspire to
the presidency of the United States ; he did use his influ-
ence against the Latter-day Saints thinking he could gain
popularity by so doing; and he miserably failed. He
was deserted by his own friends, and died a disappointed
man.
Commencing on the first day of the fourteenth year
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a
special conference was held on the floor of the temple at
Nauvoo. In presenting the authorities of the Church, the
30
434 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
Prophet asked the people if they were satisfied with the
First Presidency. "If," said he, "I have done anything
to injure my standing or dishonor our religion in the sight
of angels, or men, or women, I am sorry for it. I do not
know that I have done anything of the kind; but if I
have, come forward and tell me of it."
Joseph wanted the Saints to feel that every officer of
the Church, from the President down to the least in au-
thority, was responsible to the body of the Saints, as well
as to God, for his conduct; and thereby established a rule
which was of great help at a later time.
Brigham Young made the motion to sustain Joseph
Smith as President of the whole Church, and one vast sea
of hands was presented, carrying the motion unanimously.
At this conference Apostle Orson Pratt remarked that
a man's body changes every seven years; and Joseph
replied :
There is no fundamental principle belonging to a
human system that ever goes into another in this world or
in the world to come ; I care not what the theories of men
are. We have the testimony that God will raise us up,
and He has the power to do it. If anyone supposes that
any part of our bodies, that is, the fundamental parts
thereof, ever goes into another body, he is mistaken.
* # # * #
A special conference of the Elders was convened on
the 10th day of April, 1843, to ordain missionaries to go
forth into the vineyards and build up churches ; and one
hundred and fifteen appointments were made by the united
voice of the conference.
On the 12th of April two large parties of Saints
landed at Nauvoo under the charge of Elders Lorenzo
Snow, Parley P. Pratt and Levi Richards. On the day
following, the emigrants and a great multitude of others
assembled at the temple to listen to an address from the
Prophet to the new comers. He advised them concerning
their temporal welfare, their means of life; and pro-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 435
nounced the blessings of heaven and earth upon them,
inasmuch as they should keep the commandments of God.
The lull in the active persecution against the Prophet
was soon at an end. His enemies never for an instant
contemplated the relinquishment of their purpose to carry
him into Missouri to be assassinated. Threats came to
him from time to time, the low mutterings which precede
the crash of a thunderbolt. He applied to the governor of
Iowa to recall the writs issued against him upon requisi-
tions from Missouri, so that he might visit the Saints in
Zarahemla, basing his request upon the action taken by
Judge Pope at Springfield, which substantiated the illegal-
ity of Missouri's demand. But his request was in vain,
and he was obliged to risk his liberty and his life when-
ever duty called him to the Iowa side of the river.
CHAPTER LVI.
THE CELESTIAL OKDEE OF MARRIAGE — ETERNITY AND PLURAL-
ITY OF THE COVENANT — THE REVELATION WRITTEN AND
DELIVERED TO THE HIGH COUNCIL — JOSEPH, HYRUM AND
OTHERS OBEY IT.
Every woman has the right to virtuous wifehood and ma-
ternity. This was the Omnipotent design in her creation.
Yet how shall it be fulfilled under modern systems?
Clearly, the Creator can make known.
"When they are out of the world they neither marry
nor are given in marriage," saiththe revelation; therefore
the tie of conjugal relation must be made here and to
endure beyond the gates of death they must be fixed by an
eternal covenant with the divine sanction.
Joseph Smith's mission was all- comprehending. From
the Church organization, it expanded until it made known
a code of moral law by which the modern world, under
the light of Christian truth, may achieve social redemption
and be forever purified.
The decree of the Lord making known to the Prophet
the eternity and plurality of marriage, was a part of this
sublime plan. It c^me to him little by little, as he was
enabled to bear the dazzling light of celestial glory: and
when eventually the full view of the holy order was per-
mitted to him, he saw the principles of eternal progres-
sion, the laws by which the universe is filled with shining
and inhabited spheres to make the infinite glory of our God.
The exaltation of these visions was all that mortal man
could bear; and the Prophet felt that the dull, selfish world
JOSEPH THE PEOPHET. 437
would refuse to understand the purity and promise, would
refuse to undergo the earthly trials to secure the heavenly
blessing, and would seek the death of such humblef disci-
ples of the Savior as should embrace this principle of eter-
nal life.
Even after that portion of the revelation now recorded
in the Doctrine and Covenants was made known to him.
Joseph did not write it for a time, although he obeyed its
commands and taught it to Hyrum and other faithful men,
who, in prayer and humility before God, accepted and ful-
filled its requirements.
The revelation therefore remained the unwritten law
of God, established in the hearts and obeyed in the lives of
some of His faithful servants, until the 12th day of July,
1843, when it was recorded, that it might remain a comfort
and guide to the people after Joseph and Hyrum should
pass away. On that day, under the Prophet's dictation,
and in the presence of Hyrum, the revelation was written
by William Clayton. A copy of it was taken the next
day by Joseph 0. Kingsbury for Bishop Newel K. Whit-
ney.
On the 12th day of August, 1843, the revelation was
read before the high council and presidency of the stake
of Nauvoo. -There were present Hyrum Smith, who pre-
sented the principle; William Marks, Charles C. Rich,
and Austin Cowles, the stake presidency; and Samuel
Bent, William Huntington, Alpheus Cutler, Thomas
Grover, Lewis D. Wilson, David Fullmer, Aaron John-
son, Newel Knight, Leonard Sobey, Isaac Allred, Henry
G. Sherwood and Samuel Smith, the high council.
After reading the revelation, Hyrum promised his
brethren that they who accepted it should be blessed and
sustained in the Church by the Spirit of God and the con-
fidence of the Saints, and they who rejected it should fall
away in their faith and power; and it was even so.
To promulgate this commandment and to obey it was
probably the Prophet's greatest earthly trial. Emma did
438 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
not at first accept it; but later she became convinced of
its truth and gave good women to her husband to wife as
Sarahs of old administered to Abraham.
Some of the Prophet's brethren caused him great
sorrow by teaching impurity of life under the guise of this
holy principle : but their wickedness was uncovered and
the Church was purged of their presence.
The teaching of the revelation has been a test of per-
sonal holiness. The men who have seen in this com-
mandment a holy and exalted duty and who obeyed in
meekness and purity, have lived by their faith and have
come off triumphant; while those who have sought to min-
ister to evil passions have sunk and been cast out.
There is not one word in the revelation, nor was
there one word in the Prophet's teaching other than
purity and self sacrifice.
The Lord said :
I am the Lord thy God, and I give unto you this
commandment, that no man shall come unto the Father
but by me, or by my word, which is my law, saith the
Lord ;
And everything that is in the world, whether it be
ordained of men, by thrones or principalities, or powers
or things of name whatsoever, they may be, that are not
by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown
down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in
nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God;
For whatsoever things remain, are by me, and what-
soever things are not by me, shall be shaken and de-
stroyed.
Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world,
and he marry her not by me, nor by my word; and he
covenant with her so long as he is in the world, and she
with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force
when they are dead, and when they are out of the world;
therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are
out of the world;
Therefore, when they are out of the world, they neither
marry, nor are given in marriage; but are appointed
angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants,
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 439
to minister for those who are worthy of a far more and
an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory;
For these angels did not abide my law, therefore they
cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly,
without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eter-
nity, and from henceforth are not Gods, but are angels of
God for ever and ever.
And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a
wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all
eternity, if that covenant is not by me, or by my word,
which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of
promise, through him whom I have anointed and ap-
pointed unto this power — then it is not valid, neither
of force when they are out of the world, because they are
not joined by me, saith the Lord; neither by my word;
when they are out of the world, it cannot be received
there, because the angels and the Gods are appointed there,
by whom they cannot pass ; they cannot, therefore, inherit
my glory, for my house is a house of order, saith the
Lord God.
And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a
wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and
everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the
Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto
whom I have appointed this power, and the keys of this
Priesthood; and it shall be said unto them, ye shall come
forth in the first resurrection ; and if it be after the first
resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit
thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions
all heights and depths — then shall it be written in the
Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder
whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my
covenants, and commit no murder whereby to shed inno-
cent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things what-
soever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and
through all eternity, and shall be of full force when they
are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels",
and the Gods, which are set there to their exaltation and
glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads,
which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the
seeds for ever and ever.
Then shall they be Gods, because they have no end;
therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting,
440 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
because they continue; then shall they be above all,
because all things are subject unto them. Then shall
they be Gods, because they have all power, and the angels
are subject unto them.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my
law, ye cannot attain to this glory!
For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that lead-
eth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and
few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in
the world, neither do ye know me.
But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know
me, and shall receive your exaltation, that where I am,
ye shall be also.
This is eternal lives, to know the only wise and true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he.
Eeceive ye, therefore, my law.
And again, as pertaining to the law of the Priest-
hood: If any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse
another, and the first give her consent; and if he espouse
the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no
other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery,
for they are given unto him ; for he cannot commit adul-
tery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else;
And now as pertaining to this law, verily, verily I say
unto you, I will reveal more unto you hereafter.
CHAPTER LVII.
AN EVIL QUAKTETTE — REYNOLDS , FORD, BENNETT AND OWENS
— A NEW WRIT — JOSEPH KIDNAPPED AT DIXON AND
THREATENED WITH DEATH — EFFORTS FOR RELEASE ON
"HABEAS CORPUS" — A WRESTLING MATCH — ENTRY INTO
NAUVOO — JOSEPH RELEASED — THE KIDNAPPERS ASK FOR
A MOB ARMY — INDEPERDENCE DAY AT NAUVOO.
A pitiable yielding to murderous hate was exhibited in
the conduct in June, 1843, of Reynolds and Ford, the
governors respectively of the great states of Missouri and
Illinois. The adviser of Reynolds was John C. Bennett,
the corrupt traitor; the adviser of Ford was Sam C.
Owens, one of the leaders of the Jackson mob.
On the 13th day of June, Thomas Reynolds, gov-
ernor of the state of Missouri, made a requisition upon
the state of Illinois for the person of Joseph Smith,
charged with treason, on the ground that he was a fugi-
tive from justice. To show the close communion of the
quartette, Reynolds, Bennett, Ford and Owens, it is
well to note that Bennett and Owens, before any
papers were issued, made their boasts that the gov-
ernors of the two states would comply with their de-
mands, and that Joseph Smith would be delivered to
death at the hands of his old enemies in Missouri. And
on the 10th of June, three days before the requisition
was issued, Sam Owens and John C. Bennett had in-
formed Governor Ford by letter that Joseph Reynolds,
sheriff of Jackson County, (although the alleged offense
of treason had been committed in Daviess County) would
442 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
be appointed by Governor Reynolds of Missouri to re-
ceive the person of Joseph Smith from the officials of
Illinois; and they, in the same letter, instructed Governor
Ford to appoint Harmon T. Wilson of Hancock County, to
serve the writ which they demanded Ford to issue. Their
reason for wanting Reynolds of Jackson County is clear;
he was known to be in sympathy with the mob there,
while the officers of Daviess County might have an ab-
horrence of murder and might refuse to be so pliant as
the assassins desired. While their reason for demand-
ing the appointment of Harmon T. Wilson was stated in
a letter to Ford by Sam C. Owens in the following words:
Dr. Bennett further writes me that he has made an
arrangement with Harmon T.Wilson, of Hancock County,
(Carthage, seat of justice,) in whose hands he wishes the
writ that shall be issued by you to be put.
The plan as dictated to the governors by these villains
was executed.
On the same day that the governor of Missouri ap-
pointed Reynolds to go to Illinois after the person of the
Prophet, Joseph started with Emma and their children
to see her sister Mrs. Wasson, who lived near Dixon,
Lee County, Illinois. Five days later, on the 18th of
June, a message was received at Nauvoo from Judge
James Adams, of Springfieled, from which it was learned
that Ford had issued the writ for Joseph and that it
was on the way. Hyrum Smith immediately sent
Stephen Markham and William Clayton on horseback,
William riding Joe Duncan, to find and warn the Prophet.
These devoted men traveled two hundred and twelve miles
in sixty- six hours, and found Joseph between the town of
Dixon and Wasson 's place. When they told him of the
danger he said:
Do not be alarmed, I have no fear, and shall not flee.
I will find friends and the Missourians cannot slay me, I
tell you in the name of Israel's God.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 443
Wilson and Eeynolds had disguised themselves and
proposed to be "Mormon" Elders, following Joseph to
Wasson's. On the 23rd of June they reached that place
while the family were at dinner and said: "We want to
see Brother Joseph."
They seized him the instant they found him and pre-
sented cocked pistols to his breast, without showing any
writ or serving any process. Joseph enquired: "What is
the meaning of this?"
And Reynolds replied: "Goddamn you, be still, or
I'll shoot you, by God."
Wilson joined in this awful profanity and threat, and
they both struck the Prophet with their pistols. He only
said:
Kill me if you will, I am not afraid to die; and I have
endured so much oppression that I am weary of life.
But I am a strong man, and I could cast both of you down,
if I would. If you have any legal process to serve, pre-
sent it, for [ am at all times subject to law and shall not
offer resistance.
At this time, Stephen Markham walked toward them
and the kidnappers swore they would kill him ; but he
paid no attention to their threats. Still bruising the
Prophet with their pistols and threatening every instant
to kill him if he spoke, they dragged him to a wagon with-
out, and would have driven away not permitting him to
say one word to his family or to obtain his hat and coat,
but Stephen Markham interposed. He boldly seized the
horses by the bits, and would not let them go until Emma
could run from the house with the Prophet's clothing. k
Stephen mounted a horse and started to Dixon where
the kidnappers also proceeded at full speed without even
allowing Joseph to speak to his wife or little children.
The wretches had not shown any writ, nor had they told
the Prophet what was the charge against him. During
the whole journey of eight miles to Dixon they continued
to strike his sides with their pistols and to swear that they
444: JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
would have his life. So brutal were their blows that he
almost fainted, and each side was turned black and blue
for a circumference of eighteen inches.
At Dixon they thrust him into a room at the tavern
and guarded him there, while ordering fresh horses to be
ready in five minutes. As Stephen Markham had raised
an alarm at Dixon and proposed to get a lawyer, Rey-
nolds once more declared his intention to shoot the
Prophet. Joseph said: "Why do you make this threat
so often. If you want to shoot me, do so. I am not
afraid."
The continued calmness and the undaunted heroism
of the Prophet had their effect upon his captors ; and at
last they desisted from their threats, although they con-
tinued their abuse. No doubt they would have killed him
but they were too cowardly. They wanted to get him
into Missouri where the murder could be consummated
without any danger to them. The lawyers whom Stephen
secured for the Prophet were not permitted by Reynolds
and Wilson to consult their client; but the effect of this
high-handed proceeding was to arouse the indignation of
the landlord and his friends. They gathered around the
hotel and told Reynolds that this might be the Missouri
way, but it would not do for Dixon, where the people
were law-abiding and would not permit any man to be
kidnapped and dragged away without knowing the charge
against him and without an opportunity for judicial ex-
amination. As a large crowd had gathered by this time
^nd as they threatened to take summary action against
the brigands, Reynolds and Wilson concluded to permit a
consultation with the lawyers. As soon as he could get
speech with the attorneys, Joseph told them that he
had been taken prisoner without process, had been
insulted, bruised and threatened; and that he wanted to
sue out a writ of habeas corpus. At this Reynolds swore
that he would only wait half an hour. A Mr. Dixon who
had opposed Reynolds and Wilson in their outrageous
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 445
doings, immediately sent messengers to the master in
chancery and to Lawyer Walker to have them come to
Dixon to get out a writ of habeas corpus.
The next morning the writ was issued, returnable
before Judge Caton of the ninth judicial circuit at Ottawa,
and duly served upon Reynolds and Wilson.
Writs were also obtained against them for threaten-
ing the life of Stephen Markham,for assaults upon Joseph
and for false imprisonment; and these villains were soon
placed in the custody of the sheriff of Lee County, where-
upon their demeanor became as craven as it had before
been bold and threatening.
In the meantime Joseph had sent William Clayton to
Nauvoo to inform Hyrum of what was being done.
The Prophet still in captivity to Reynolds and Wil-
son, who in turn were in custody of Sheriff "Campbell,
proceeded that night to Pawpaw grove, thirty-two miles
on the road to Ottawa. Here Reynolds and Wilson again
began to abuse their captive; but Campbell came to his
assistance and slept by his side that night to protect him
from further assault.
Early the next morning the hotel was filled with
citizens who wanted to see the Prophet and hear him
preach. Fearing the effect of an address from Joseph,
Sheriff Reynolds yelled: "I want you to understand that
this man is my legal prisoner, and you must disperse."
This was false. No writ or other process had been
served upon Joseph, and he was nobody's legal prisoner.
But without waiting to discuss the legal question, an old
man named David Town, who was lame and carried a
large hickory walking stick, advanced upon Reynolds and
said:
You damned infernal puke, we'll learn you to come
here and interrupt gentlemen. Sit down there, [pointing
to a very low chair] and sit still. Don't you open your
head till General Smith gets through talking. If you
never learned manners in Missouri, we'll teach you that
446 JOSEPH THE PR0PHE1.
gentlemen are not to be imposed upon by a nigger- driver.
You cannot kidnap men here. There's a committee in
this grove that will sit on your case; and, sir, it is the
highest tribulal in the United States, as from its decision
there is no appeal.
Reynolds was made aware that Mr. Town was the
head of a committee, just then assembled to deal with
some land speculators who had attempted to impose upon
honest settlers, and he obeyed with great meekness.
The Prophet talked an hour and a half on the subject
of marriage, which was the topic selected for him by his
congregation. From that hour on his freedom com-
menced.
Learning at Pawpaw grove that Judge Caton was
absent in-New York the party turned back to Dixon,
arriving there about 4 o'clock in the afternoon of June
25th. A return of the writ of habeas corpus was made to
the master in chancery, with the endorsement that the
judge was absent; whereupon a new writ was issued, re-
turnable before the nearest tribunal in the fifth judicial
district authorized to hear and determine writs of habeas
corpus, and Mr. Campbell, the sheriff of Lee County, at
once served it upon Wilson and Reynolds. Arrangements
were then made to go before Judge Stephen A. Douglas
at Quincy,a distance of two hundred and sixty miles; and
in the meantime, anticipating treachery, Stephen Mark-
ham started with a letter to the Prophet's friends inform-
ing them lurther of his movements. This action was
deemed necessary; for the whole country seemed to be
swarming with men anxious to carry Joseph into Missouri,
where, according to the free boasts of Reynolds, Wilson
and others, his death was certain.
The party in charge of the Prophet proceeded toward
Quincy. On Tuesday, the 27th of June, shortly after
crossing Fox River, they met seven of the Prophet's
friends. The brethren burst into tears at sight of Joseph;
and as they embraced him he spoke to his captors who,
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 447
it must be remembered, had not yet shown any writ or
other process and were therefore kidnappers :
"I think I will not go to Missouri this time, gentle-
men. These are my boys."
Then he mounted his favorite horse, Joe Duncan ; and
the entire company proceeded to a farm house and made
a halt. This party of the Prophet's friends was under
the leadership of Thomas Grover, and from them it was
learned that Elders Charles C. Rich and Wilson Law with
other and larger parties were seeking the Prophet to pre-
vent his murder and abduction.
Reynolds and Wilson shook with fear. Peter W.
Cownover, one of the Prophet's friends, said to Wilson:
4 'What is the matter with you? Have you got the
ague?"
Wilson managed to stammer, "No."
Reynolds asked, "Is Jem Flack in the crowd?"
Someone answered: "He is not now, but you will see
him tomorrow about this time."
"Then," said Reynolds, "lam a dead man; for I
know him of old."
Cownover told the foolish fellow not to be frightened,
for no one intended to injure him.
Stephen Markham had turned back when he met this
party and was with them. He walked up to Reynolds
and offered his hand, when the bandit cried out: "Do you
meet me as a friend? I expected to be a dead man when
I met you again."
Markham replied: "We are friends, except in law;
that must have its course."
At Andover that night Reylolds and Wilson gathered
a party and held a consultation. They intended to raise
a company, take the Prophet by force, escape from their
own arrest, and run with him to the mouth of Rock River,
on the Mississippi, where they said they had a company of
men all ready to drag him into Missouri and wreak ven-
geance upon him. But for Stephen Markham ? s vigilance
448 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
they would have executed this plan, but he foiled them by
putting the Sheriff of Lee County on his guard.
On Wednesday, the 28th of June, they encamped in
a little grove at the head of Elleston Creek. While the
animals were feeding, Reynolds said: "No, we will go
from here to the mouth of Rock River and take steamboat
to Quincy."
Markham replied : ' 'No ; for we are prepared to travel
and will go by land."
Wilson and Reynolds both yelled out: "No, by God,
we won't; we will never go by Nauvoo alive."
Both drew their pistols upon Markham, who turned
to Sheriff Campbell saying: "When these men took
Joseph a prisoner, they took even his pocket knife. They
are now prisoners of yours and I demand that their arms
be seized."
Reynolds and Wilson refused to yield their weapons;
but when the sheriff threatened to call for assistance, they
submitted.
While on this journey and resting in a little grove of
timber where the ground was well sodded, one of the law-
yers for Reynolds and Wilson began to boast of his
prowess as a wrestler. He offered to wager any sum that
he could throw any man in the state of Illinois at side-
hold. Stephen Markham, a side-hold wrestler, told the
lawyer that he would not contest for money but would try
a bout for fun. They grappled, and the man threw Mark-
ham, when a great shout arose from Joseph's enemies,
and they began to taunt the Prophet and his friends.
Joseph turned to Brother Philemon C. Merrill, a
young man from Nauvoo, subsequently adjutant in the
Mormon Battalion, and now a resident of St. David, Ari-
zona, and said: "Get up and throw that man."
Merrill was about to say that side-hold was not his
game ; but before he could speak the Prophet commanded
him in such a way that his tongue was silenced. He arose
to his feet filled with the strength of a Samson. Merrill
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 449
lifted his arms and said to the lawyer: "Take your choice
of sides."
The man took the left side with his right arm under;
when the company all declared that this was not fair, as
he had a double advantage. Merrill felt such confidence
in the word of the Prophet that it made no difference to
him how much advantage his opponent took, and he
allowed the hold. As they grappled Joseph said: "Phile-
mon, when I count three, throw him!" ,
On the instant after the word dropped from Joseph's
lips, Merrill, with the strength of a giant, threw the law-
yer over his left shoulder, and he fell striking his head
upon the earth.
Awe fell upon the opponents of the Prophet when
they saw this, and there were no more challenges to
wrestle during the journey.
While they were lodged at a farm house near Mon-
mouth one night Reynolds and Wilson again plotted to
raise a mob and seize Joseph; but Peter Cownover de-
tected them, and Sheriff Campbell put them under re-
straint, feeling that they were no longer to be trusted. On
Thursday, the 29th of June, another party of the Proph-
et's friends joined him. He called James Flack to his
side and told him he must not injure .Reynolds whatever
the provocation might have been; for the Prophet had
pledged himself to protect the Missouri sheriff.
The lawyers and Sheriff Campbell, with other civil
officers, decided that the hearing upon the writ of habeas
corpus might lawfully be held in Nauvoo, and they desired
to go there rather than to Quincy; so the party turned in
that direction. This occasioned great joy to Joseph. His
bruises were forgotten, and that night when they reached
the house of Michael Crane, on Honey Creek, he sprang
from the buggy, walked up to the fence, and leaped over
without touching it.
A messenger had carried the news of the home-com-
ing to Nauvoo, and on Friday, June the 30th, a joyous
31
450 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
cavalcade went out to meet the Prophet. The meeting be-
tween Joseph and Hyrum was most touching. Joseph
had just passed through one of the many perils of his
life, but one of the few which Hyrum did not share; and
his return caused Hyrum to weep for joy as he took the
Prophet in his arms. The spectacle of the entry into
Nauvoo was most imposing, for the delighted people sang
for joy and made such demonstration of love and glad-
ness in Joseph's behalf, that the lawyers and officers from
Dixon were charmed and deeply impressed.
After they were within the city the multitude seemed
unwilling to disperse, but Joseph said to them:
I am out of the power of the Missourians again,
thank God; and thank you all for your kindness and love.
I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. I shall address
you in the grove, near the temple, at 4 o'clock this after-
noon.
A feast had been prepared at Joseph's house, and
there he went — still in the hands of his captors, Rey-
nolds and Wilson, who were the prisoners of Sheriff
Campbell of Lee County; and all of these with about
fifty of the Prophet's friends sat at his table. The
place of honor was given to Reynolds and Wilson who
were waited upon by Emma with as much courtesy as
could have been bestowed upon a beloved guest. This
kindness heaped coals of fire on their heads, for they
remembered the time when they had dragged the Prophet
from the side of his wife and little ones and had refused
to permit him to say farewell.
Under advice of the lawyers, Joseph with his captors
was brought before the municipal court at Nauvoo, and all
the writs and other papers were filed there. The case
was heard upon its merits, and the Prophet was dis-
charged. The lawyers concurred that in all the transac-
tions since the day of his arrest Joseph had held himself
amenable to the law and its officers ; and that the decision
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 451
of the municipal court of Nauvoo was not only legal and
just but was within the power of this tribunal under the
city charter.
But before the actual hearing began in the municipal
court, Reynolds and Wilson in company with Lawyer
Davis, of Carthage, started for that place threatening to
raise a mob with which to drag Joseph from Nauvoo.
Desiring a larger force than they could readily command
at Carthage, they applied to Governor Ford for the state
militia. But the governor sent -a trusted messenger to
Nauvoo to obtain evidence concerning the seizure of the
Prophet and his discharge on the writ of Jiabeas corpus;
and this gentleman secured a* copy of all the papers and
evidence in the case. Prominent citizens of Lee County
added their affidavits ; and several gentlemen wont up to
Springfield to represent the matter fairly to his Excellency.
Whatever Ford's motive may have been — whether a de-
sire to make political capital for his party with influential
men who took the side of the Saints in this question, or
whether he had fear that he would lose his personal pres-
tige by precipitating the unlawful strife — he took the only
proper course; and after long consideration, and upon the
representation of his trusted messenger, he refused to
order out the militia, and so reported to Sheriff Reynolds
and Governor Reynolds of Missouri. The position which
Ford assumed was that no resistance had been made to
any writ issued by the state of Illinois, and therefore that
Illinois had neither right nor interest in the matter.
On the 2nd and 3rd days of July parties returned
who had been out from Nauvoo searching for the Prophet.
One party had gone up the river on the little steamer
Maid of loiva, under command of Dan Jones, and had
passed through a very adventurous voyage. This com-
pany was accompanied by Apostle John Taylor. Another
party, under the leadership of General Charles C. Rich,
had traveled five hundred miles on horseback in seven
days. They wer^ all delighted to find the Prophet safe
452 JOSEPH TEE PKOPHET.
at home ; and he blessed them for their love and devotion
to him.
At a special conference, on Monday, the 3rd day of
July, a large number of Elders were called to go into the
different counties of Illinois, to preach the Gospel and
convey correct information to the people of the state con-
cerning the Prophet's arrest and his discharge from cus-
tody.
On the 4th day of July about fifteen thousand people
congregated at the grove near the temple, among them
being about one thousand ladies and gentlemen from St.
Louis, Quincy and Burlington, who listened attentively to
orations and speeches. In the course of the address
which he delivered, the Prophet spoke a few words in
relation to his own arrest, in which he defended himself
to the satisfaction of the vast multitude, both Saints and
visitors :
I never spent more than six months in Missouri, ex-
cept while in prison. While I was free in that state, I
was at work for the support of my family. I was never
a prisoner of war during my stay, for 1 had nothing to do
with war. I never took a pistol, gun, or sword; and the
most that has been said on this subject by the Missomri-
ans is false. I have been willing to go before any gover-
nor, judge or tribunal where justice would be done, and
have the subject investigated. I could not have committed
treason in that state while I resided there, for treason
against Missouri consists in levying war against the state
or adhering to her enemies. Missouri was at peace, and
had no] enemy that I could adhere to, had 1 been dis-
posed; and I did not make war, and no command or au-
thority, either civil or military, but only in spiritual
matters as a minister of the Gospel.
CHAPTER LVIIL
GROWTH OF NAUVOO— THE MANSION-
ANCY— MOBOCRATIC CONVENTIONS AT CARTHAGE — INCIT-
ING THE MISSOURIANS TO KIDNAP — THE PROPHET CHECKS
A BOMBASTIC POLITICIAN — APPEALS FOR REDRESS— JOY ON
A CHRISTMAS DAY — ORRIN PORTER ROCKWELL BACK FROM
MISSOURI.
When the Prophet once more saw one hour of security in
Nauvoo, he recorded the fact that he had been subjected
in his time to thirty-eight suits against his person and
property. Not one of these was just. They were all in-
cited for the purpose of vexing and despoiling him, and
by the satanic power that had sought to shed the blood of
prophets and holy men through all ages.
But he was compensated and filled with joy to see
the progress of Nauvoo. From the states in this country
^.nd from the la;nds across the sea, faithful Saints were
gathering by tens, and hundreds, and thousands. Homes
were being built and factories were projected; the walls
of the temple were rising in grandeur, uplifting the souls
of the Saints with hope that<they would soon minister in
the holy ordinances for their living and their dead ; and all
that was wanted to insure the dominion of peace was the
cessation of the wicked assaults upon the Prophet and his
friends.
On the last of August Joseph and his family moved
into the Nauvoo Mansion. It was his intention to sup-
port this place as a home for all visitors who should come
up to Zion seeking to know the glory of God. Such hos-
pitality was no new thing for the Prophet to bestow. His
454 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
home, whenever he had one, had always been open to
Saints and to strangers. It had been a resting place for
thousands ; and many times his family had gone without
food, after giving their last morsel to the poor wayfarers.
The mansion was a place in which such hospitality as the
Prophet loved could well be extended. With these facili-
ties to entertain company, Joseph soon found his resources
exhausted. But for the persecutions and robberies
which he had suffered he might have continued to dis-
pense his bounties with generous hand; but now he was
compelled to have the mansion opened as a hotel, at first
under his own direction, but a little later it was leased for
that purpose to Ebenezer Robinson, the Prophet only re-
taining two or three rooms for his personal use. Joseph's
mother lived with him at this time.
Among the saddest afflictions of the Prophet's closing
hours was the recreancy of Sidney Rigdon. As early as
August, 1843, Joseph had solemnly withdrawn his fellow-
ship from Sidney, and had refused to acknowledge him
longer as a counselor — unless the charge could satisfac-
torily be refuted that he was in league with the Prophet's
enemies to betray him and give him up to death in Mis-
souri. This was not the only ground for complaint.
Sidney was charged with an alliance with dishonest per-
sons to deal fraudulently against the innocent and un-
wary. At a special conference begun in Nauvoo on the
6th of October, examination was made of the statements
against President Rigdon. The Prophet recalled the many
times that he had borne with Sidney's failings, having
forgiven him again and again ; and that now Sidney had
ceased altogether to be useful and devoted, and Joseph
lacked entire confidence in his integrity. Filled with
mercy, Hyrum desired that one more trial should be
given to Elder Rigdon, and upon his motion Sidney was
sustained. The Prophet arose and said:
I have thrown him off my shoulders, and you have
again put him on me. You may carry him, but I will not.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 455
Subsequent events clearly showed how truly the
Prophet had judged of the man who was once his friend
and counselor, but had now lost faith and power in the
Gospel.
Assaults from without were threatbned, with violence
constantly augmenting. In August some of the brethren
who were elected to county offices went to Carthage to
give bonds and take the official oath. While these men
were before the court, a rabble consisting of Constable
Harmon T. "Wilson and about fifteen others came in
armed with hickory clubs, knives and pistols, and swore
that the bonds should not be approved nor the men from
Nauvoo inducted into office; if they were, blood would be
spilled; and the mob pledged their words, honor and
reputation, not only to keep these men out of office, but
to put down the "Mormons." After some delay, the
rabble withdrew to convene a mob meeting, and the bonds
were approved by the court. This mob secured a conven-
tion at the court house on the 19th of August and ap-
pointed a committee to draft resolutions concerning the
Saints; and at an adjourned meeting held on the 6th of
September, 1843, a most vindictive tirade, filled with lies
and threats, was presented and accepted under the name
of preamble and resolutions. These mobocrats pledged
themselves in the most determined manner to give aid in
the captuie of Joseph if he were demanded again, and
threatened signal and summary vengeance upon the
Saints in case of a collision. All the office-seekers were
warned that the influence of the mobocrats would be
withdrawn from them if they sought support at Nauvoo.
This action was designed to comfort the Missourians
and to incite them to further efforts ; and also to warn
the office-holders and office-seekers of the state of Illinois
not to extend any help to Joseph and his people in case
of an attack upon them. The sole causes of the move-
ment, in addition to the falsehoods of Reynolds and Wil-
son, who felt chagrined at their failure to drag the
456 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Prophet to his death as they had threatened, was that the
people were increasing, Nauvoo was becoming a beautiful
city, and Joseph Smith, the Prophet of G-od and head of
the community, was the object of sectarian and apostate
jealousy and political hate. Joseph wrote to the governor
concerning the threatened movements against the Saints,
but received no satisfaction.
The promise of the Hancock County mob and the
quiescence of the governor of Illinois gave license and
promise of support to the people of Missouri in the com-
mission of further outrages. In November, Daniel Avery
and his son Philander were kidnapped from Hancock
County, by a company of Missourians, and imprisoned
and threatened with death for the purpose of extorting
false statements from them upon which prosecutions
could be based against the citizens of Nauvoo. A man
named Elliot of Carthage, who had assisted the kidnap-
pers, was arrested and brought before a court at Nauvoo
for examination. No attempt was made to inflict punish-
ment upon him; the evidence clearly showed his guilt,
and he was bound over to the circuit court at Carthage.
This same Elliot had sworn to have the Prophet's life, and
complaint was lodged against him for threatening to
kill. Elliot was alone and defenseless; and when the
Prophet saw the man's fear and helplessness, he obtained
a withdrawal of the charge, paid the costs himself, and
invited Elliot to his own home to be fed and lodged.
Writs for the other persons engaged in the Avery kid-
napping were issued, but an armed mob congregated to
prevent the service of process. A party of the mob
went to the house of David Holman near Ramus, and in
his absence plundered it of provisions and then burned it
to the ground, leaving himself and family shelterless in
the bleak winter.
An attack was threatened upon Nauvoo by gathering
mobs from Missouri and Illinois ; and in view of this dan-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 457
ger the Nauvoo Legion was ordered to be kept in readiness
to repel unlawful assaults.
The vindictive and lawless character of the mob which
menaced the city is shown by the statement of Amos
Chase, who heard the following conversation between a
spectator and the rabble:
" What will you do if the governor refuses to sanction
your course? 7 '
4 'Damn the governor! If he opens his head we will
punch a hole through him! He dare not speak! We will
serve him the same sauce we will the Mormons."
And their cowardly character is shown by the expe-
rience of Nelson Judd. A man called on Brother Judd
at Nauvoo and said he wanted to sell him some wood at a
little distance down the river. Nelson went with the man
and when they came into the woods two men on horseback
attempted to kidnap him. He avoided them and they
drew their pistols and fired, but without effect. Judd
then coolly said: "Now it is my turn."
Putting his hand into his pocket as though to draw a
pistol, he looked fiercely at the bandits, and they fled
shrieking with terror. Nelson had no weapon with him
except his bravery and innocence, and he walked home
laughing at the ruffians. .
At a meeting of the city council in December, 1843,
the subject of the menace to the city and the mayor was
under consideration, and Joseph said among other things:
I am exposed to far greater danger from traitors
among ourselves than from enemies without, although my
life has been sought for many years by the civil and mil-
itary authorities, priests and people of Missouri; and if I
can escape from the ungrateful treachery of assassins, I
can live as C^sar might have lived, were it not for a
right-hand Brutus. I have had pretended friends betray
me. All the enemies upon the face of the earth may roar
and exert all their power to bring about my death, but
they can accomplish nothing, unless some who are among
us, who have enjoyed our society, have been with us in
458 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
our councils, participated in our confidence, taken us by
the hand, called us brother, saluted us with a kiss, join
with our enemies, turn our virtues into faults, and, by
falsehood and deceit, stir up their wrath and indignation
against us, and bring their united vengeance upon our
heads. All the hue and cry of the chief priests and elders
against the Savior could not bring down the wrath of the
Jewish nation upon his head, and thereby cause the cruci-
fixion of the Son of God, until Judas said unto them;
"Whomsoever I shall kiss he is the man: hold him fast."
Judas was one of thp. Twelve Apostles, even their treas-
urer, and dipped with their Master in the dish, and
through his treachery the crucifixion, was brought about;
and we have a Judas in our midst.
James Arlington Bennett, a lawyer, journalist and
politician of New York, had been attracted by the Proph-
et's fame and character. Mr. Bennett had ambition to
run for office in the state of Illinois, and he wrote a very
complimentary letter to Joseph, in which he spoke of the
boldness of the Prophet's plans and measures; and that
he, Bennett, would yet run for high office in Illinois, and
would give the Prophet his best services ; intimated that
he would like to become Joseph's right-hand man, since
"Mahomet had his right-hand man;" and he declared that
his mind was of so mathematical and philosophical a
cast that divinity made an impression upon him.
To this bombastic letter the Prophet replied with such
incisive vigor that must have taught Mr. Bennett a
lesson:
You say, "The boldness of my plans and measures,
together with their unparalleled success so far, are calcu-
lated to throw a charm over my whole being, and to point
me out as the most extraordinary man of the present
age." The boldness of my plans and measures can readily
be tested by the touchstone of all schemes, systems, projects
and adventures — truth, for truth is a matter of fact; and
the fact is, that by the power of God I translated the Book
of Mormon from hieroglyphics, the knowledge of which
was lost to the world ; in which wonderful event I stood
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 459
alone, an unlearned youth, to combat the worldly wisdom
and multiplied ignorance of eighteen centuries with a new
revelation, which (if they would receive the everlasting
Gospel) would open the eyes of more than eight hundred
millions of people, and make "plain the old paths,"
wherein, if a man walk in all the ordinances of God
blameless, he shall inherit eternal life; and Jesus Christ,
who was, and is, and is to come, has borne me safely over
every snare and plan, laid in secret or openly, through
priestly hypocrisy, sectarian prejudice, popular philos-
ophy, executive power, or law- defying mobocracy, to
destroy me.
If, then, the hand of God, in all these things that I
have accomplished towards the salvation of a priest-ridden
generation, in the short space of twelve years through
the boldness of the plan of preaching the Gospel, and the
boldness of the means of declaring repentance and baptism
for the remission of sins, and a reception of the Holy
Ghost, by laying on of the hands, agreeably to the author-
ity of the Priesthood, and the still more bold measures of
receiving direct revelation from God, through the Com-
forter, as promised, and by which means all holy men,
from ancient times till now, have spoken and revealed
the will of God to men, with the consequent "success" of
the gathering of the Saints, throws any "charm" around
my being, and "points me out as the m6st extraordinary
man of the age," it demonstrates the fact, that truth is
mighty, and must prevail ; and that one man empowered
from Jehovah has more influence with the children of the
kingdom than eight hundred millions led by the precepts
of men. God exalts the humble and debases the haugty.
■* * * # *
The summit of your future fame seems to be hid in
the political policy of a "mathematical problem" for the
chief magistracy of this state, which, I suppose, might be
solved by "double position," where the errors of the
supposition are used to produce a true answer.
But, sir, when I leave the dignity and honor I
received from heaven to hoist a man into power through
the aid of my friends, where the evil and designing, after
the object has been accomplished, can look up the clem-
ency intended as a reciprocation for such favors, and
where the wicked and unprincipled, as a matter of course,
460 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
would seize the opportunity to flintify the hearts of the
nation against me for dabbling at a sly game in politics;
verily, I say, when I leave the dignity and honor of heav-
en to gratify the ambition and vanity of man or men, may
my power cease, like the strength of Samson, when he was
shorn of his locks, while asleep in the lap of Delilah!
Truly said the Savior, "Cast notyour pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again
and rend you."
Shall I, who have witnessed the visions of eternity,
and beheld the glories of the mansions of bliss, and the
regions and misery of the damned, shall I turn to be a
Judas? Shall I, who have heard the vohe of God, and
communed with angels, and spake, as moved by the Holy
Ghost, for the renewal of the everlasting covenant and
for the gathering of Israel in the last days, shall I worm
myself into a political hypocrite? Shall I who hold the
keys of the last kingdom, in which is the dispensation of
the fullness of all things spoken by the mouths of all the
holy prophets since the world began, under the sealing
power of the Melchisedek Priesthood — shall I stoop from
the sublime authority of Almighty God to be handled as
a monkey's catspaw, and pettify myself into a clown to
act the farce of political demagoguery? No, verily no!
The whole earth shall bear me witness, that I, like the
towering rock in the midst of the ocean, which has with-
stood the mighty surges of the warring waves for centu-
ries, am impregnable, and am a faithful friend to virtue,
and a fearless foe to vice; no odds, whether the former
was sold as a pearl in Asia or hid as a gem in America,
and the latter dazzles in palaces or glitters among the tombs.
I combat the errors of ages; I meet the violence of
mobs; I cope with illegal proceedings from executive au-
thority ; I cut the Gordian knot of powers ; and I solve
mathematical problems of universities with truth — dia-
mond truth; and God is my u right-hand man*"
In December memorials were prepared and sent to
Congress supplicating for a redress of the wrongs inflicted
upon the Saints in Missouri and for protection against
further plundering. This seemed necessary, for the gov-
ernor of Illinois had practically confessed the helplessness
of the state to prevent the infliction of addirional wrongs
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 461
upon this long-suffering people. The memorials were
signed by the citizens of Hancock County and the city
council of Nauvoo ; they were truthful and eloquent ; and
they were of as little avail as other appeals for justice
made by the people of God in this and other ages. Several
of the Elders wrote addresses to their native states, setting
forth with the vigor of truth the wrongs and oppressions
which had been inflicted upon them by Missouri. Joseph
wrote a stirring appeal to the people — the Green Mountain
boys— of his native state of Vermont. After sketching
the great wrongs which the people had endured, the
Prophet says :
Must we, because we believe in the fullness of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, the administration of angels and
the communion of the Holy Ghost, like the prophets and
apostles of old, — must we be mobbed with impunity, be
exiled from our habitations and property without remedy,
murdered without m€?rcy, and government find the wea-
pons and pay the vagabonds for doing the jobs, and give
them the plunder into the bargain? Must we, because we
believe in enjoying the constitutional privilege and right
of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of
our own consciences, and because we believe in repent-
ance, and baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of
the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, the resur-
rection of the dead, the millennium, the day of judgment
and the Book of Mormon as the history of the aborigines
of this continent, — must we be expelled from the institu-
tions of our country, the rights of citizenship, and the
graves of our friends and brethren, and the government
lock the gate of humanity and shut the door of redress
against us? If so, farewell freedom! adieu to personal
safety! and let the red hot wrath of an offended God
purify the nation of such sinks of corruption; for that
realm is hurrying to ruin where vice has the power to ex-
pel virtue.
My father, who stood several times in the battles of
the American Revolution, till his companions in arms had
been shot dead at his feet, was forced from his home in
Far West, Missouri, by those civilized or satanized sav-
ages, in the dreary season of winter, to seek a shelter in
462 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
another state; and the vicissitudes and sufferings conse-
quent to his flight brought his honored gray head to the
grave a few months after.
* * * ******
I appeal to the ' 'Green Mountain Boys" of my native
state to rise in the majesty of virtuous freemen, and by all
honorable means help to bring Missouri to the bar of jus-
tice. If there is one whisper from the spirit of an Ethan
Allen, or a gleam from the shade of a General Stark, let
it mingle with our sense of honor and fire our bosoms for
the cause of suffering innocence, for the reputation of our
disgraced country, and for the glory of God; and may all
the earth bear me witness, if Missouri — blood-stained Mis
souri, escapes the due demerit of her crimes — the venge-
ance she so justly deserves, that Vermont is a hypocrite, a
coivard, and this nation the hot-bed of political dema-
gogues.
I make this appeal to the sons of liberty of my native
state for help to frustrate the wicked designs of sinful men.
I make it to hush the violence of mobs. I make it to
cope with the unhallowed influence of wicked men in high
places. I make it to resent the insult and injury made to
an innocent, unoffending people, by a lawless ruffian state.
I make it to obtain justice where law is put at defiance. I
make it to wipe off the stain of blood from our nation's
escutcheon. I make it to show presidents, governors and
rulers prudence. I make it to fill honorable men with dis-
cretion. I make it to teach senators wisdom. I make it
to teach judges justice. I make it to point clergymen to
the path of virtue. And I make it to turn the hearts of
this nation to the truth and realities of pure and undefiled
religion, that they may escape the perdition of ungodly
men: and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is my great
counselor.
On Christmas morning, 1843, Joseph and Hyrum were
roused from their slumbers by the hymn of a choir sing-
ing, * 'Mortals, Awake! with Angels Join." The choir
was composed of a widow named Lettice Rushton and her
children and neighbors; and their sweet voices and the
noble sentiments of the hymn thrilled the souls of the
Prophet and Patriarch into gladness and thanksgiving.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 4b3
Joseph blessed the singers and thanked his Heavenly
Father for the visit. Hyrum said that he thought at first
that a cohort of angels had descended, for the music had
such 'a heavenly effect upon his soul. It was the last
Christmas carol that Joseph and Hyrum heard in this life.
Before another year had passed these two grand mortals
had passed into the slumber of death, to awake with
immortality upon them and to join with the choir in-
visible.
On the night of the same day another joy came to
Joseph. He was entertaining a company of friends at his
house when the festivities were interrupted by a man who
came unbidden to the feast. His hair was long and fell
over his face and upon his shoulders. He seemed a
stranger to all and yet acted boldly and confidently as if
at home. The company thought he was aMissourian and
he would have been ejected, but the Prophet came and
looked him fairly in the face and discovered to his great
joy that it was his long-tried and persecuted friend Orrin
Porter Rockwell who, in fulfillment of the prediction of
Joseph, had come away honorably from Missouri.
Orrin was gladly welcomed then to the banquet, and
the Prophet listened to the recital of his adventures. Af-
ter going to the ea^t in 1842 and remaining some months,
Rockwell determined to return to his home in Nauvoo,
not desiring perpetual exile. At St. Louis he was cap-
tured and thrown into jail. Iron hobbles and manacles
were fastened upon him and he was carried to Independ-
ence. He was dragged from place to place, from court to
court, tortured, threatened, starved, and all without any
legal or just charge against him. Not the remotest con-
nection could be traced between him and the attempt upon
Boggs' life. He had not been seen in the entire state of
Missouri during the year in which that event took place.
No court from very shame could hold him on this mon-
strous charge, but when it failed others were concocted;
and in the meantime several mob parties attempted to take
464 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
his life as he was dragged to and fro in custody. After
repeated solicitations he induced Joseph Reynolds, the
sheriff of Jackson, to write to Bishop Whitney at Nauvoo,
and this is the communication which that officer of law
forwarded :
Independence, Missouri,
April 7th, 1843.
Sir: — At the request of Orrin Porter Rockwell, who
is now confined in our jail, I write you a few lines con-
cerning his affairs. He is held to bail in the sum of
$5,000, and wishes some of his friends to bail him out.
He also wishes some friend to bring his clothes to him. He
is in good health and pretty good spirits. My otvn opin-
ion is, after conversing ivith several persons here, that it
tvould not be safe for any of Mr. Rockwell's friends to come
here, notwithstanding I have written the above at his re-
quest; neither do I think bail would be taken (unless it
was some responsible person well known here as a resi-
dent of this state). Any letter to Mr. Rockwell, (post
paid) with authority expressed on the ^>ack for me to open
it, will be handed to him without delay. In the mean-
time he will be humanely treated and dealt with kindly r
Aintil discharged by due course of law.
Yours, etc.,
J. H. Reynolds.
From Orrin 's own narrative of his experience the fol-
lowing paragraps are taken :
When I was put in Independence jail, I was again
ironed hand and foot, and put in the dungeon, in which
condition I remained about two months. During this time,
Joseph H. Reynolds, 'the sheriff, told me he was going to-
arrest Joseph Smith, and they had received letters from
Nauvoo which satisfied them that Joseph Smith had un-
limited confidence in me, tbat I was capable of toUng him
in a carriage or on horseback anywhere that I pleased;
and if I would only tole him out by riding or any other
way, so that they could apprehend him, I might please
myself whether I stayed in Illinois or came back to Mis-
souri; they would protect me, and any pile that I would
name the citizens of Jackson County would donate, club
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 465
together and raise, and that I should never suffer for want
afterwards: "you only deliver Joe Smith into our hands,
and name your pile." I replied — "I will see -you all
damned first, and then I won't."
About the time that Joseph was arrested by Reynolds
at Dixon, I knowing that they were after him, and no
means under heaven of giving him any information, my
anxiety became so intense upon the subject, knowing their
determination to kill him, that my flesh twitched on my
bones. I could not help it; twitch it would. While un-
dergoing this sensation, I heard a dove alight on the win-
dow in the upper room of the jail, and commence cooing,
and then went off. In a short time he came back to the
window, where a pane was broken; he crept through the
bars of iron, which were about two and a half inches
apart. I saw it fly round the trapdoor several times; it
did not alight, but continued cooing until it crept through
the bars again, and flew out through the broken window.
I relate this, as it was the only occurrence of the kind
that happened during my long and weary imprisonment;
but it proved a comfort to me; the twitching of my flesh
ceased, and I was fully satisfied from that moment that
they would not get Joseph into Missouri, and that I should
regain my freedom. From the best estimates that can
be made, it was at the time when Joseph was in the cus-
tody of Reynolds.
In a few days afterwards Sheriff Reynolds came
into the jail and told me that he had made a "failure in the
arrest of Joseph.
At last, finding that no charge could be maintained
against the prisoner, and that he could not be bribed or
cajoled, or driven into a traitorous act, he was turned
loose to find his way on foot across the state of Missouri,
which swarmed with enemies. He was marvelously pre-
served from dangers which encompassed his path, and
reached Nauvoo as much to Joseph's joy as his own.
The Prophet must have compared the fidelity of this
unpretending but loyal man with the selfish and traitorous
action of some men upon whom benefits and confidences
had been showered.
32
CHAPTER LIX.
JOSEPH SMITH FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES — AN
INSPIRED CANDIDATE — HIS VIEWS OF THE POWERS AND
POLICY OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT — HOW THE COUN-
TRY COULD HAVE SAVED THE CARNAGE OF WAR.
FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: JOSEPH SMITH, OF
ILLINOIS.
This was the announcement made to the world in the
opening of 1844, from Nauvoo. At a political meeting held
there on the 29th day of January, Joseph was nominated,
and on the 17th day of May, at a state convention held in
the same place the nomination was sustained.
Such a candidacy was not assumed at such a time
without careful and lengthy deliberation. Its purpose
was less to secure political fame or elevation for the
Prophet, than to bring his patriotic and statesman-like
ideas before the world, and to force the sufferings of the
Saints upon the attention of the thinking men throughout
the land.
Joseph's views of government, its powers and duties,
his knowledge of the steps by which the nation could
retrace its way from the gulf into which it was being
plunged, were far in advance of his time. The recreancy
and the moral cowardice of many of the public men in
the republic who were aspirants for that high station,
called for some rebuke; for many of them were deliber-
ately precipitating the evils which soon deluged the land
with blood, and others through fear were skulking from
the face of this danger. It was time for a declaration of
truth from a man who not only had the prophetic fore-
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 467
sight but who had the courage to declare for justice.
Viewed from the standpoint of politicians, the candidacy
of the Prophet was hopeless in 1844. What it might have
been if he had lived and it had been renewed at a later
time, when the best minds of the nation could have
grasped and advocated the noble principles which he
enunciated, and thinking men throughout the length and
breadth of the land could have seen that this was the way
of all others for escape from war, let the student of his-
history decide. Certain it is, that had Joseph Smith been
elected President of the United States and been sustained
by Congress in his policy, this land would have been
spared the desolating woe which filled its hamlets and
fields with carnage and its homes with sobbing widows
and orphans.
From this same state of Illinois a backwoodsman
came sixteen years later to settle the national dispute and
save the Union by the stern arbitrament of the sword, for
by this time the paltering politicians of the schools were
by the mighty voice of the people set aside. This man,
raised up by Providence for the task, and with the cour-
age to do, was the nation's support and rescuer in
1861-65. But had the nation accepted Joseph Smith,
with the views which he proclaimed t and with the divine
prescience upon him, he would have proved, in 1845-49,
the republic's savior. Peaceful methods would have pre-
vailed, and Columbia would have been spared the most
bloody and costly civil war of which profane history gives
any account.
Looking back upon that time of the war after nearly
a generation has past, men are prone to think less of the
agonies of the strife; they begin to feel that it was neces-
sary; to feel that the republic is stronger because ce-
mented by the blood of brother who fell under brother's
hand and by the tears of the widow and the fatherless.
To sense the full beneficence which Joseph Smith might
have wrought, let the patriot project his mind into the
468 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
future and think if peril impended today how much better
to save the country and the constitution by heroic states-
manship than by military valor.
The sentiment which permitted the persecutions in
Missouri and Illinois to go unchecked and unredressed
was rapidly ripening for the greater strife. Joseph saw
this. When he permitted his name to be used he said to
his friends:
I would not have suffered my name to have been
used by my friends on anywise as President of the United
States or candidate for that office, if I and my friends
could have had the privilege of enjoying our religious
and civil rights as American citizens, even those rights
which the constitution guarantees unto all her citizens
alike. But this we as a people have been denied from
the beginning. Persecution has rol'ed upon our heads
from time to time from portions of the United States, like
peals of thunder, because of our religion ; and no portion
of the government as yet has stepped forward for our
relief. And under view of these things, I feel it to be my
right and privilege to obtain what influence and power I
can, lawfully, in the United States, for the protection of
injured innocence; and if I lose my life in a good cause, I
am willing to be sacrificed on the altar of virtue, right-
eousness and truth, in maintaining the laws and constitu-
tion of the United States, if need be, for the general good
of mankind.
Joseph had nut allowed this candidacy to be an-
nounced until every effort had been made to impress the
leading politicians of the day with a sense of national
peril and with recognition of the means by which over-
hanging disaster might be dissipated. Late in 1843 and
in the opening of 1844, he held correspondence with Clay,
Calhoun, Van Buren, Cass and others, in which his own
courage and exalted ideas of government come in contra-
distinction to the sycophantic and excessive caution of
time-serving politicians.
He hit Calhoun, the champion of states rights, on a
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 469
tender spot, and used the woes of the Saints for an illus-
tration when he said :
Your second paragraph leaves you naked before
yourself, like a likeness in a mirror, when you say that
"according to your vieio, the Federal Government is one
of limited and specific powers," and has no jurisdiction in
the case of the Mormons. So then a state can at any
time expel any portion of her citizens with impunity, and,
in the language of Mr. Van Buren, frosted over with your
gracious "views of the case," though the cause is ever so
just, government can do nothing for them, because it has
no power.
Go on, then, Missouri, after another set of inhabit-
ants (as the Latter-day Saints did) have entered some two
or three hundred thousand dollars' worth of land, and
made extensive improvements thereon; go on, then, I say,
banish the occupants or ownei's, or kill them, as the mob-
bers did many of the Latter-day Saints, and take their
land and property as spoil; and let the legislature, as in
the case of the Mormons, appropriate a couple of hundred
thousand dollars to pay the mob for doing that job; for
the renowned senator from South Carolina, Mr. J. C. Cal-
houn, says the powers of the Federal Government are so
specific and limited that it has no jurisdiction of the case!
O ye people who groan under the oppression of tyrants! ye
exiled Poles, who have felt the iron hand of Eussian grasp !
— ye poor and unfortunate among all nations ! come to
the asylum of the oppressed ; buy ye lands of the general
government; pay in your money to the treasury to strength-
en the army and the navy ; worship God according to the
dictates of your own consciences; pay in your taxes to
support the great heads of a glorious nation : but remem-
ber, a ' sovereign state' is so much more powerful than the
United States, the parent government, that it can exile
you at pleasure, mob you with impunity, confiscate
your lands and property, have the legislature sanction it,
— yea, even mmxler you as an edict of an emperor, and it
does no wrong; for the noble senator of South Carolina
says the power of the Federal Government is so limited
and specific, that it has no jurisdiction of the case. What
think ye of Imperium in imperiol
And to Clay he said:
470 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
True greatness never wavers; but when the Missouri
compromise was entered into by you for the benefit of slav-
ery, there was a shrinkage of western honor.
Soon after his nomination was promulgated, he wrote
an address to the American people containing his views of
the powers and policy of the government of the United
States. It was someting new in the way of political plat-
forms. Ignoring the evasions and the platitudes with
which the scheming and shifting talk of the day was bur-
dened, he uttered burning words of patriotism and states-
manship upon the issues which were then paramount in
the land. With the acceptance of his plans, the slave ques-
tion might have been settled without the effusion of blood
and at an expense infinitely less than that of war: and re-
bellion in any state might have been instantly crushed un-
der the national heel. The following paragraphs are from
his address :
Born in a land of liberty, and breathing an air uncor-
rupted with the sirocco of barbarous climes, I ever feel a
double anxiety for the happiness of all men, both in time
and in eternity.
My cogitations, like Daniel's, have for a long time
troubled me, when 1 viewed the condition of men through-
out the world, and more especially in this boasted realm,
where the Declaration of Independance "holds these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness ; ' ? but at the same time some two or three
millions of people are held as slaves for life, because the
spirit of them is covered with a darker skin than ours ; and
hundreds of our own kindred for an infraction, or sup-
posed infraction, of some overwise statute, have to be in-
carcerated in dungeon glooms, or suffer the more moral
penitentiary gravitation of m^rcy in a nutshell, while the
duelist, the debauchee, and the defaulter for millions and
other criminals, take the uppermost rooms at feasts,
or, like the bird of passage, find a more congenial clime
by flight.
The wisdom which ought to characterize the freest,
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 471
wisest and most noble nation of the nineteenth century,
should, like the sun in its meridian splendor, warm every
object beneath its rays; and in main efforts of her officers,
who are nothing more or less than the servants of the peo-
ple, ought to be directed to ameliorate the condition of all,
black or white, bond or free; for the best of books says,
God "hath make of one blood all nations of men for to
dwell on all the face of the earth."
Our common country presents to all men the same
advantages, the same facilities, the same prospects, the
same honors, and the same rewards; and without hypoc-
risy, the constitution, when it says, "We, the people of
the United States in order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for
the common defense, promote the general welfare, and
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our poster-
ity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the
United States of America," meant just what it said with-
out reference to color or condition, ad infinitum.
The aspirations and expectations of a virtuous people,
environed with so wise, so liberal, so deep, so broad, and
so high a character of equal rights as appears in said con-
stitution, ought to be treated by those to whom the admin-
istration of the laws is entrusted with as much sanctity as
the prayers of the Saints are treated in heaven, that love,
confidence and union, like the sun, moon and stars, should
bear witness,
(For ever singing as they shine.)
The hand that made us is divine!
Unity is power ; and when I reflect on the importance
of it to the stability of all governments, lam astounded at
the silly moves of persons and parties to foment discord
in order to ride into power on the current of popular ex-
citement; nor am I less surprised at the stretches of power
or restrictions of right which too often appear as acts of
legislators to pave the way to some favorite political
scheme as destitute of intrinsic merit as a wolf's heart is
of the milk of human kindness.
■& * * * * * #
Now, O people! people! turn unto the Lord and live,
and reform this nation. Frustrate the designs of wicked
men. Reduce Congress at least two- thirds. Two senators
472 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
from a state and two members to a million of population
will do more business than the army that now occupy the
halls of the national legislature. Pay them two dollars
and their board per diem (except Sundays). That is more
than the farmer gets, and he lives honestly. Curtail the
officers of the government in pay, number and power; for
the Philistine lords have shorn our nation of its goodly
locks in the lap of Delilah.
* * # * # * #
Advise your legislators, when they make laws for lar-
ceny, burglary, or any felony, to make the penalty appli-
cable to work upon roads, public works, or any place where
the culprit can be taught more wisdom and more virtue,
and become more enlightened. Rigor and seclusion will
never do as much to reform the propensities of men as
reason and friendship. Murder only can claim confine-
ment or death. Let the penitentiaries be turned into semi-
naries of learning, where intelligence, like the angels of
heaven, would banish such fragments of barbarism. Im-
prisonment for debt is a meaner practice than the savage
tolerates, with all his ferocity. Amor vincit omnia.
Petition, also, ye goodly inhabitants of the slave states,
your legislators to abolish slavery by the year 1850, or
now, and save the abolitionist from reproach and ruin, in-
famy and shame.
Pray Congress to pay every man a reasonable price
for his slaves out of the surplus revenue arising from the
sale of public lands and from the deduction of pay from
the members of Congress.
Break off the shackles from the poor black man, and
hire him to labor like other human beings; for "an hour
of virtuous liberty on earth is worth a whole eternity of
bondage." Abolish the practice in the army and navy of
trying men by court-martial for desertion. If a soldier or
marine runs away, send him his wages, with this instruc-
tion, that Ms country will never trust Mm again; he has
forfeited Ms honor.
Make honor the standard with all men. Be sure that
good is rendered for evil in h\\ cases, and the whole nation,
like a kingdom of kings and priests, will rise up in right-
eousness, and be respected as wise and worthy on earth,
and as just and holy for heaven, by Jehovah, the author
of perfection.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 473
More economy in the national and state governments
would make less taxes among the people ; more equality
through the cities, towns and country, would make less
distinction among the people; and more honesty and fa-
miliarity in societies , would make less hypocrisy and flattery
in all branches of the community; and open, frank, can-
did decorum to all men, in this boasted land of liberty,
would beget esteem, confidence, union and love; and the
neighbor from any state, or from any country, of what-
ever color, clime or tongue, could rejoice when he put his
foot on the sacred soil of freedom, and exclaim, The very
name of "American 11 is fraught with friendship. Oh, then,
create confidence! restore freedom! break down slavery!
banish imprisonment for debt, be in love, fellowship and
peace, with all the world! Eemember that honesty is not
subject to law: the law was made for transgressors.
# * # * * * *
Give every man his constitutional freedom, and the
President full power to send an army to suppress mobs,
and the state authority to repel and impugn that relic of
folly which makes it necessary for the governor of a state
to make the demand of the president for troops, in case of
invasion or rebellion.
The governor himself may be a mobber; and instead
of being punished, as he should be, for murder or treason,
he may destroy the very lives, rights and property he
should protect.
As to the contiguous territories of the United States,
wisdom would direct no tangling alliance. Oregon be-
longs to this government honorably; and when we have
the red man's consent, let the IJnion!spread from the east
to the west sea; and if Texas petitions Congress to be
adopted among the sons of liberty, give her the right hand
of fellowship, and refuse not the same friendly grip to
Canada and Mexico. And when the right arm of freemen
s stretched out in the character of a navy for the pro-
tection of rights, commerce and honor, let the iron eyes of
power watch from Maine to Mexico, and from California
to Columbia. Thus may union be stretched, and for-
eign speculation prevented from opposing broadside to
broadside.
474 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
Seventy years have done much for this goodly land.
They have burst the chains of oppression and monarchy,
and multiplied its inhabitants from two to twenty mil-
lions, with a proportionate share of knowledge keen
enough to circumnavigate the globe, draw the lightning
from the clouds, and cope with all the crowned heads of
the world.
The southern people are hospitable and noble. They
will help to rid so free a country of every vestige of slav-
ery, whenever they are assured of an equivalent for their
property.
* * * * *
We have had Democratic presidents, Whig presidents,
a pseudo-Democratic- Whig president, and now it is time
to have a president of the United States: and let the
people of the whole Union, like the inflexible Romans,
whenever they find a promise made by a candidate that is
not practiced as an officer, hurl the miserable sycophant
from his exaltation as God did Nebuchadnezzar, to crop
the grass of the field with a beast's heart among the cattle.
*****
In the United States the people are the government,
and their united voice is the only sovereign that should
rule, the only power that should be obeyed, and the only
gentlemen that should be honored at home and abroad,
on the land and on the sea. Wherefore, were I the
president of the United States by the voice of a virtuous
people, I would honor the old paths of the venerated
fathers of freedom. I would walk in the tracks of the
illustrious patriots who carried the ark of the government
upon their shoulders with an eye single to the glory of
the people; and when that people petitioned to abolish
slavery in the slave states, I would use all honorable
means to have their prayers granted, and give liberty to
the captive by paying the southern gentlemen a reasonable
equivalent for his property, that the whole nation might
be free indeed!
*****
And when the people petitioned to possess the terri-
tory of Oregon, or any other contiguous territory, I would
bend the influence of a chief magistrate to grant so reason-
able a request, that they might extend the mighty efforts
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 475
and enteprise of a free people from the east to the west
sea, and make the wilderness blossom as the rose. And
when a neighboring realm petitioned to join the union of
the sons of liberty, my voice would be, Come — yea, come,
Texas; come, Mexico; come, Canada; and come, all the
world; let us be brethren, let us be one great family, and
let there be a universal peace.
Abolish the cruel customs of prisons (except in cer-
tain cases), penitentiaries, court martials for desertion;
and let reason and friendship reign over the ruins of igno-
rance and barbarity; yea, I would, as the universal friend
of man, open the prisons, open the eyes, open the ears,
and open the hearts of all people, to behold and enjoy
freedom — unadulterated freedom; and God, who once
cleansed the violence of the earth with a flood, whose
Son laid down His life for the salvation of all His Father
gave Him out of the world, and who has promised that
He will come and purify the world again with fire in the
last days, should be supplicated by me for the good of all
people.*
To enunciate the Prophet's views for the salvation of
the republic, the Twelve Apostles and other leading
Elders were sent throughout the land. It was a long
parting with Joseph for most of the Twelve. One of their
number, Wilford Woodruff, says:
Joseph looked upon me long and mournfully. I shall
never forget his look. It was as though he was bidding
us an eternal farewell.
See Note 5, Appendix.
CHAPTER LX.
PACIFIC ADDRESS BY THE PEOPHET — THE MOB ASK GOD TO
BLESS THEIR WORK OF MASSACRE — LOOKING TO THE WEST
— A SUBLIME SERMON — APOSTATES AND THEIR WORK —
JOSEPH INDICTED FOR POLYGAMY.
Joseph had endeavored by every means in his power
to create pacific feelings between the Saints and the other
citizens of Illinois. He addressed many communications
to the public, in which he counseled for good sense and
good order.
One of his appeals for peace was written on the 17th
of February, 1844. That same day an anti-Mormon con-
vention was held at Carthage, the object being to devise
ways and means for expelling the Saints from the state as
they had been driven from Missouri. Among the resolu-
tions adopted by the meeting was one appointing the 9th
day of March following as a day of fasting and prayer,
whereon the pious of all the sectarians were to supplicate
heaven to aid their efforts against the Prophet and his
people. The inciters of this convention purposed that it
should inaugurate a massacre ; and yet they were so blas-
phemous as to pretend to ask the aid of the Almighty!
Their real supplication, however, was addressed — not to
the realms of light, but to the prince of darkness.
On Sunday, the 25th day of February, in a meeting
at the assembly room of the Saints in Nauvoo, Joseph
prophesied that in five years the Saints would be out of
the power of their old enemies, whether apostates or of
the world, and he asked the brethren to record the pre-
diction.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 477
About this time he was inspired to direct the glance
of the Apostles to the ^western slope where he said the
people of God might establish themselves anew, worship
after their own sincere convictions, and work out the
grand social problems of modern life'. This subject was
present in his mind and often upon his lips during the
brief remainder of his earthly existence. Frequent coun-
cils were held and he directed the organization of an
exploring expedition to venture beyond the Rocky Moun-
tains, to seek a home for a righteous people denied every
right of citizenship within- the boundaries of the United
States then existing. His purpose was not to sever the
Saints from this sublime republic by any emigration; he
saw that this country's domain must soon stretch from
ocean to ocean. The entire land of North and South
America was the Zion of the Lord, and the people might
settle in any spot where peace could be enjoyed, always
remembering that in the due time of the Almighty the cen-
ter stake must be built up.
Work was stopped on the Nauvoo House by the
Prophet's direction and every effort concentrated upon
the temple. He determined that the structure should be
fitted to receive the worshiping Saints of the Most High
before they should go into voluntary exile or submit to
expatriation. And though he did not live to see the con-
summation of this purpose, it was literally fulfilled. And
though he did not live to see the exodus of the Saints nor
to send out the first pioneer party of explorers, his in-
spired suggestion was carried out, and through it his pre-
diction was fulfilled that the Saints in five years should be
beyond the power of their old enemies.
In March, the Prophet addressed a memorial to Con-
gress, asking for the passage of an ordinance to protect
citizens of the United States emigrating into the western
regions. His purpose was to advance, under national
authority, beyond the western boundary of the United
States and establish American citizens in this vast domain
478 JOSEPH THE PR0PHE1.
preparatory to the hour when it should become annexed
to our country. The ordinance he himself drafted, and
in its provisions he betrayed his usual grandeur of pur-
pose.
A special conference was held, beginning on the 6th
day of April, 1844, at which Joseph addressed a congre-
gation of twenty thousand people. He chose for his sub-
ject the death of Elder King Follett, who had died a few
days before, and he uplifted the souls of the congregation
to a higher comprehension of the glory which comes after
death to the faithful. His address ceased to be a mere
eulogy of an individual, and became a revelation of eter-
nal truths concerning the glories of immortality. The
address occupied three hours and a half in delivery, and
the multitude were held spell- bound by its power. The
Prophet seemed to rise above the world. It was as if the
light of heaven already encircled his physical being. In
a few weeks he was to pass through the portals of the
tomb into the radiance beyond, and he wanted his breth-
ren to grasp some of the sublimities comprehended by his
own inspired soul. Those who heard that sermon never
forgot its power. Those who survive think of it today as
an exhibition of superhuman power and eloquence.
The Judas spirit manifested itself in Nauvoo in the
spring of 1844. Alarmed by the Prophet's declaration
that there was a right-hand Brutus near him, some of the
men who were willing to betray him feared that their
machinations were discovered and that vengeance might
be wreaked upon them. William Law and William Marks
both feared or affected to fear for their lives. They made
complaint which reached the ears of the Prophet, and he
ordered an investigation in which they were allowed the
fullest license to examine witnesses. The result was to
show to them how utterly groundless was their fear; but
further it showed to all the Saints that these men were not
faithful. The people said:
Is it possible that Brother Law or Brother Marks is a
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 479
traitor and would deliver Joseph into the hands of his
enemies in Missouri? If not, what can be the meaning of
this? The righteous are as bold as a lion.
Joseph merely quoted :
The wicked flee when no man pursueth.
But from this time on he knew from what quarter to
expect the kiss of Judas. Jealousy of the Prophet and
their personal impurity led several leading men to apos-
tasy and to a thirst for Joseph's blood. Among them
were William Law, Wilson Law, Chauncy L. Higbee,
Francis M. Higbee and Eobert D. Foster They became
his avowed enemies; but in secret sympathy with them
were Sidney Eigdon, William Marks and Austin A.
Cowles.
William Law was the leader of the movement. He
declared that Joseph was a fallen Prophet, and he at-
tempted to set up a church of his own. The apostates
sought by every means in their power to precipitate
bloodshed in Nauvoo. They flagrantly violated the law;
insulted, abused and threatened the officers; usurped
official prerogatives; attempted to shoot 'Joseph; and
spread throughout the country, and even beyond its con-
fines, the most wicked misrepresentations and complaints
concerning Joseph and the municipal administration of
Nauvoo.
The Prophet had long known of their treachery and
had warned the Saints that Judases were in their midst,
without naming the individuals. He knew that in a little
time the traitors would betray themselves. When this
expectation of the Prophet was realized and the Saints
were enabled to see the perfidy of these men, they were
excommunicated.
After this it seemed as if Satan was turned loose in
their souls Having no louger any profit in concealment
they blazoned forth their hatred for the Prophet and their
480 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
own iniquities. Some of them confessed that they knew
that their sins were finding them out and that they would
soon have no reputation to lose anyhow, and theiefore
they would persecute the Prophet and try to drag him
down with them. At this time anonymous letters threat-
ening the lives of Joseph and Hyrum were received and
every conceivable annoyance was perpetrated upon them.
The missionary labor had not slackened. While
Satan was moving the powers of earth and the infernal
regions to slay the Prophet, despoil the city and break the
growing strength of righteousness, missionaries were
being sent into every field. Under date of Friday, May
17, 1844, the Prophet records among other similar events,
that Elder Franklin D. Richards, then a faithful youth
and now a renowned Apostle of the Church, was ordained
a High Priest and set apart to go on a mission to
England.
On Saturday, the 25th day of May, 1844, the Prophet
was informed that he had been indicted at Carthage for
the alleged offenses of polygamy and perjury on the testi-
mony of William Law and others. Two days later, learn-
ing that warrants were out for him from the circuit court
upon these indictments, he determined to proceed to Car-
thage and give himself up. He had a double purpose to
serve in this action. He desired as usual to show his
respect for law and legal process; and he wanted to avoid
having a Carthage mob come into Nauvoo to serve the writs.
At Carthage he was informed by Charles Foster and other
apostates, who repented their purpose for the moment,
that a plot had been laid for his death and that it was
determined that he should not leave that place alive. He
secured lawyers and endeavored to have his case brought
forward for trial; but the prosecution insisted upon delay
and secured a postponement until the next term. In the
meantime Joseph was to be released on bail satisfactory
to the sheriff; and that officer told him to go his way with-
out bonds until called upon.
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 481
His friends gathered around him when he prepared to
depart for home, and by this means his life was saved,
for armed men threatened him and tried by force and
stratagem to detain him in Carthage until after dark that
they might the better accomplish the assassination. But
he knew their plot and departed, riding Joe Duncan and
accompanied by Hyrurn and others, and reached home at
9 o'clock that evening.
33
CHAPTER LXI.
THE FIEST AND ONLY ISSUE OF THE NAUVOO "EXPOSITOR" —
ITS MURDEROUS PURPOSE — REMOVAL OF A NUISANCE AND
ERADICATION OF ITS CAUSE — TRIAL OF THE MAYOR AND
OTHERS, AND THEIR ACQUITTAL IN AN HONEST COURT —
GATHERING OF THE MOBS — THREATS OF EXTERMINATION
— NAUVOO UNDER MARTIAL LAW.
The publishers deem it a sacred duty they owe to their
country and their fellow-citizens to advocate, through the
columns of the Expositor, the unconditional repeal of the
Nauvoo city charter.
This was one of the statements in the prospectus
for a newspaper to be issued at Nauvoo by the Laws,
Higbees and Fosters. These men had been excommuni-
cated from the Church for their personal impurity and for
plotting murder. With their wickedness exposed to the
gaze of the world th*y had no longer any reputation at
stake; they associated with gamblers, counterfeiters and
thieves; and their great desire was, by every means in
their power, fair or foul, to injure their former brethren.
The charter of a city is inestimable to the citizens.
Without it rapid advancement is difficult if not impossible.
Nauvoo had grown into prominence, and gave promise of
becoming an important commercial and industrial center.
The apostates knew well the vital point at which to direct
their blow. Not only would they paralyze every industry
by securing the repeal of the charter, but they would turn
the city over to the dictation of hostile county and state
officials ; so that financial ruin and personal distress would
be inflicted upon many of the people. To this end, they
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 483
leagued themselves with kindred spirits whose evil efforts
they could rely upon. The class of allies which they
secured is shown by the fact that one of their associates
was known to them, and was afterwards proven, to be a
fugitive murderer.
Among the minor purposes avowed in this prospectus
for the issuance of the newspaper, was the advocacy o'f
the pure principles of morality. This was a high sound-
ing pretense to create favor abroad. The Laws, the Hig-
bees and the Fosters cared nothing for morality, except to
abuse it. With them it was but a cloak. They had be-
come accustomed to use it for a covering for vile purposes.
This was not the first time nor this the last, wh^n evil
men — cast out by the Church for sexual sin — made great
pretense in print of their morality and sought to charge
offenses upon men faithful and pure.
They announced that they would exercise "the free-
dom of speech in Nauvoo, independent of the ordinances
abridging the same;" and that the end would justify the
means. The only restriction upon speech m Nauvoo was
the forbidding of slander and immorality, and unless these
men had intended to work evil with their paper they need
not have promised to transgress the law.
But their purpose was not to convince the people of
Nauvoo ; it was to create sentiment abroad and to this end
slander and falsehood were necessary. They were not the
first men shrewd enough to see that the publication,
within any city, of statements adverse to the community
would be accepted abroad as current fact. Their plan
was devised with satanic ingenuity; If the Expositor
were allowed to print its defamations and falsehoods un-
checked, the world would believe that all they said was
true, and overwhelming sentiment would be created
against Nauvoo and its people ; if their press was stayed
in its crime, they would cry that freedom of speech was
assailed — and nothing appeals more quickly to the sym-
pathy of Americans than this same cry, whether it is ut-
484 JOSEPH THE PK0PHET.
tered sincerely or only by wretches who want license to
traduce and defame innocence.
There was no disposition to restrain these publishers
from printing their paper in Nauvoo. Their announce-
ment was made ou the 10th of May, 1844; they brought
press and materials into the city, and began their work
with as much protection and safety as any other publisher
there. On the 7th of June next, they were prepared to
put forth the first number of the paper. All at once a
fear came upon them. They knew the man whom they
wished to make their chief victim — Joseph Smith; they
knew his truth, dignity and strength; they knew that he
would not supinely submit to the ruin of the city and the
defamation of its good men and women by such wretches
as these publishers were known to be ; they knew that if
they committed crime they would be called to answer for
it if the Prophet lived. So on the very day that the paper
was to come forth burdened with lies, Robert D. Foster
went to the mansion and demanded a private interview
with Joseph. He asked the Prophet to go away with him
alone, pretending that he wished to return to the Church
and wanted to confer upon that subject. Joseph refused
to talk except in the presence of witnesses, for this man
Foster had often before misrepresented the Prophet's
words. Joseph said to him that there was but one con-
dition upon which he might return and that was to repent
and to make restitution as far as possible.
While they stood talking Joseph put his hand upon
Foster's vest and said: "What have you concealed
there?"
Foster stammered in reply: "It's my pistol."
He would have lied, but under that piercing glance
his bravado deserted him, and he was compelled to
acknowledge the fact.
The reason of his visit was soon made plain, and it
was made plainer at a later time by the testimony of un-
impeachable witnesses, Saints and strangers alike. He
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 485
had not come to seek forgiveness and restoration of fellow-
ship; he had not come to make amends. He had come to
lure Joseph away to his death. His party had sworn to
slay the Prophet, and every attempt up to this time had
failed. The situation was desperate for the plotters.
They were about to commit a flagrant violation of the law,
and the one man whom they most feared as the defender
and executor of law was the mayor of the city. If they
could have taken Joseph away where his assassination
could have been accomplished without the instant capture
of his murderer, they believed that safe refuge could be
found in the bosom of the waiting mob at Carthage and
other places.
Joseph only smiled upon the craven wretch, and told
him to bring his witnesses if he desired and they would
confer concerning his restoration to fellowship. This,
Foster willingly promised and left the mansion, saying
that he would return with his friends immediately. He
never came back. His answer was to send forth the Ex-
positor, edited by Sylvester Emmons, reeking with libel
and fulfilling its promise to override the law in its deter-
mination to deal a death blow at the city of Nauvoo.
Naturally the inhabitants were enrage i. Citizens said:
If these men do not like Nauvoo, why do thej$ con-
tinue to reside here? The repeal of the charter means the
financial and social ruin of the city. This would despoil
us without benefiting these men, except by the gratifica-
tion of vengeful hate.
It would have been easy in that state of public feeling
to incite an attack upon the paper or its publishers. But
the leading men remained cool and counseled strict ob-
servance of law. Let this be remembered; for it shows
that Joseph was never willing to meet evil with evil; that
he would rather suffer wrong than to do wrong; and that
his appeal was always made to law and justice instead of
passion. And let it be remembered that not only then
but afterward through all the difficulties which followed
486 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET.
closely upon the publication of the Expositor ', the lives of
the Laws, the Higbees and the Fosters were as safe in
Nauvoo as they would have been in Carthage, Springfield
or Washington.
Three days later, June 10th, at a meeting of the city
council the Expositor was declared a public nuisance and
was ordered to be abated. Under the resolution to this
effect the marshal was ordered to proceed as he would for
the removal of any other nuisance — he was to eradicate it.
If a vile odor assail the nostrils of decent people, the only
effectual remedy is to abolish the cause; and such was the
course pursued in this case. Marshal John P. Greene
with his assistants proceeded to the office of the Expositor
and destroyed the press and pied the type.
This was summary action; but it was legal. It was
the only remedy for any public or private wrong inflicted
by the Expositor. Its publishers were impecunious. Suits
for private redress or fines for public recompense would
have been unavailing; while the imprisonment of the
publishers would have been heralded as a still greater
wrong against the freedom of the press than was the de-
struction of the offending materials.
Immediate events showed that the league to ruin
Nauvoo by newspaper lies was widely extended, for
mobocratic excitement outside of Nauvoo arose on the in-
stant, and wholesale and indiscriminate vengeance was
threatened.
And yet the destruction of an offending press was not
new in Illinois. Thomas Ford was governor at this time,
and in the awful crimes which closely followed he was the
responsible participant. It is interesting, therefore, to
note what he said of a similar destruction of an unpopular
press and type, at another time and in another community.
In his history of Illinois, published after his death to get
bread for his destitute children, he details the proceedings
of the Alton mob. In 1837, Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy,
of the Presbyterian church, published the Alton, Illinois,
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 487
Observer as a religious paper, in which slavery was op-
posed. Abolitionism was not popular there and to -quote
Ford's words: "The people assembled and quietly took
the press and type and threw them into the Mississippi.
It now became manifest to all rational men that the Alton
Observer could no longer be published in Alton as an
abolition paper. The more reasonable of the abolitionists
themselves thought it would be useless to try it again.
However, a few of them, who were most violent seemed to
think that the salvation of the black race depended upon
continuing the publication at Alton." Certain members
of the Presbyterian church determined to continue this
paper. One of the principal men engaged in the move-
ment to re-establish the Observer was Reverend Mr.
Beecher, president of Illinois college; and of him Ford
says: "Mr. Beecher was a man of great learning and de-
cided talents ; but he belonged to the class of reformers
who disregard all considerations of policy and expediency.
He believed slavery to be a sin and a great evil, and his
indignant and impatient soul could not await God's oivn
good time to overthrow it, by acts of His providence ivorking
continual change and revolution in the affairs of men." A
new press was bought, and it was determined that Love-
joy, who was very objectionable to the rabble, should con-
tinue as editor. After the arrival of the press it was
guarded in a warehouse; but the mob gathered and de-
manded its possession. Ford speaks of the protectors of
the press as being converted into demons of obstinacy. A
fight occurred, the mob being the first assailants. Love-
joy and oxiq of the mobocrats were killed; other men were
wounded. The press was seized and, like the other, it
was thrown into the river — although not a single copy of
the paper had yet been printed with these materials. No
man was punished for this crime of abolishing a free press
at the expense of murder. Thus it will be seen that the
will of a community, in other parts of Illinois, was con-
sidered sufficient without legal process to secure the ex-
488 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
tinction of an obnoxious paper and the perpetual silence
of its editor — the silence of death by assassination. In
Nauvoo no such high-handed course was pursued : no man
was injured in his person; and the destroying of the press
was in pursuance of a municipal order. At Alton, the
unpopular publishers advocated merely a national reform,
in the highest interest of human liberty and morality; at
Nauvoo the publishers attacked the most vital local well-
being and assailed the character of the community for the
pmpose of advancing an immoral purpose and gratifying
the revenge of lustful men. At Nauvoo, the publishers
had practically avowed their intention to incite a mob to
come upon the city; and the matter printed in the first and
only issue of their paper was manifestly of a character to
aid the sanguinary plot.
There had not been the slightest excitement or unne-
cessary noise in the act of removing the nuisance, and
this done the people of the city drew a breath of relief.
The Expositor had been an invitation to the gathering
mobs of Hancock County to descend upon Nauvoo and
injure its people and property. It had been calculated to
inflame the worst passions of lawless men and to produce
murder. In its suppression the people felt that only ordi-
nary prudence and official vigor had been shown. To allay
any possible excitement the mayor issued a proclamation
in which he detailed the destruction by municipal order of
the Expositor press and type, and called upon every citi-
zen to keep the peace by being cool, considerate, vir-
tuous, unoffending, manly and patriotic. The villains
who had published the paper threatened everything in the
city with destruction. One of their sympathizers declared
that he would wade to his knees in blood; others said that
the city should be wiped out before "ten suns had set."
They sent runners out in all directions to bring the mob
upon Nauvoo.
A little after noon on the 12th day of June, Constable
David Bettisworth came to Nauvoo from Carthage with a
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 489
warrant for the arrest of Joseph Smith, Samuel Bennett,
John Taylor, William W. Phelps, Hyrum Smith, John P.
Greene, Stephen Perry, Dimick B. Huntington, Jonathan
Dunham, Stephen Markham, William Edwards, Jonathan
Harmon, Jesse P. Harmon, John Lytle, Joseph W. Coo-
lidge, Harvey D. Redfield, Porter Rockwell and Levi
Richards, upon a complaint sworn to by Francis M. Hig-
bee charging the parties named with committing a riot.
The writ was issued by Thomas Morrison, justice of
the peace at Carthage, and commanded the officer to
bring the parties named before Morrison or some other
justice of the peace within the county. Bettisworth imme-
diately upon arriving at Nauvoo served this warrant
upon Joseph and afterward upon the others named there-
in. Joseph called his attention to the clause in the writ,
"before me or some other justice of the peace of said
county," and demanded to be taken before Esquire John-
son or some other justice of the peace in Nauvoo. Hyrum
made the same demand. Many people were present, and
Joseph and Hyrum called upon them to witness that they
offered themselves in answer to the writ to go forth before
the nearest justice of the peace. This was strictly in
accordance with law; but it did not auswer the purpose
of the mobocrats either at Nauvoo or Carthage, and Bet-
tisworth said: "I will be damned but I will carry you
before Justice Morrison at Carthage."
As he still held them in custody and was determined
to drag them away from Nauvoo, Joseph sued out a writ
of habeas corpus in the municipal court, and upon the full
showing there he was discharged. Later all the other
brethren named in the writ took the same course, and
secured their release.
On the 14th of June the mayor addressed a letter of
explanation to Governor Ford, in which the entire pro-
ceedings against the Expositor were fairly detailed. Joseph
stated to the governor that if Ford was not satisfied that
the whole transaction had been in accordance with the
490 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
strictest principles of law and the requirements of good
order, he would only have to write his wishes and the
mayor and all persons participating in the suppression of
the Expositor would go before Judge Pope or any legal
tribunal at the capital and submit to judicial investiga-
tion. They would not even trouble his Excellency to
send a writ or an officer, but would respond promptly to
any letter advising them of his wish. Other men in Nau-
voo, some of them prominent visitors there, wrote to Ford
at the same time, declaring that no excitement had pre-
vailed, that the proceedings had been calmly and legally
taken, and that the action of the municipality in ridding
itself of such a menace to peace and life was entirely com-
mendable.
On the 16th day of June, Judge Jesse B. Thomas
came to Nauvoo and advised tlie mayor and the other
men named in Morrison's warrant to go before some jus-
tice of the peace in the county and be examined upon the
charge named therein. Judge Thomas said that if they
would do this and should be acquitted or bound over, all
excitement would be allayed, the mob would be left with-
out a pretext, and he himself would be bound to compel the
mobocrats to keep the peace. Joseph and his brethren
expressed their readiness to submit to any fair investiga-
tion. The next day, upon the complaint of W. Gr. "Ware,
they were arrested by Constable Joel S. Miles, on a writ
issued by Daniel H. Wells for a riot in destroying the
Nauvoo Expositor press. They all submitted to this proc-
ess, and went before Justice Wells, who, at this time, it
must be remembered, was not a member of the Church.
After a long and close examination, it appeared to the
court that they had not proceeded illegally, and they were
discharged.
As mobs in various parts of the county continued to
menace Nauvoo, the Prophet sent several letters and mes-
sengers to keep the governor informed. , Samuel James
went to Springfield on the 15th of June, and Edward
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 491
Hunter with Philip B. Lewis and John Bills went on the
17th. To Elder Edward Hunter, Joseph said as he was
leaving: t4 I charge you solemnly to tell the governor
everything you know concerning me, good or bad."
The most outrageous falsehoods were being circulated
to inflame the people against Nauvoo. Upon this point
Governor Ford, in his history of Illinois, says:
A sj T stem of excitement and agitation was artfully
planned [by the mob leaders] and executed with tact. It
consisted in spreading reports and rumors of the most
fearful character. As examples :— On the morning before
my arrival at Carthage, I was awakened at an early hour
by the frightful report, which was asserted with confi-
dence and apparen tconsternation, that the Mormons had
already commenced the work of burning, destruction and
murder; and that every man capable of bearing arms was
instantly wanted at Carthage for the protection of the coun-
try. We lost no time in starting; but when we arrived at
Carthage we could hear no more concerning this story.
Again: During the few days that the militia were en-
camped at Carthage, frequent applications were made to
me 'to send a force here and a force there, and a force all
about the country, to prevent murders, robberies and lar-
cenies, which, it was said, were threatened by the Mormons.
No such forces were sent, nor were any such offenses
committed at that time, except the stealing of some pro-
visions, and there was never the least proof that this was
done by a Mormon. Again: On my late visit to Hancock
County, 1 was informed, by some of their violent enemies,
that the larcenies of the Mormons had become unusually
numerous and insufferable. They indeed admitted that
but little had been done in this way in their immediate
vicinity, but they insisted that sixteen horses had been
stolen by the Mormons in one night, near Lima, in the
county of Adams. At the close of the expedition, I
called at this same town of Lima, and upon inquiry was
told that no horses had been stolen in that neighborhood,
but that sixteen horses had been stolen in one night in
Hancock County. The last informant being told of the
Hancock story, again changed the venue to another dis-
tant settlement in the northern edge of Adams.
492 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Occasional threats came to my ears of destroying
the city and murdering or expelling the inhabitants.
■X- * -X- -X- *
Frequent appeals had been made to me to make a
clean and thorough work of the matter by exterminating
the Mormons.
The Warsaw Signal, edited by an infamous man by
the name of Thomas Sharp, took a prominent and diaboli-
cal part in arousing the spirit of murder. It published
the minutes of mob meetings and resolutions adopted there,
in which the most fiendish threats were made. Some of
them are as follows : -ssaseSK
We therefore declare that we will sustain our press
and the editor at all hazards; that we will take full ven-
geance, terrible vengeance, should the lives of any of our
citizens be lost in the effort; that we hold ourselves at all
times in readiness to co-operate with our fellow-citizens in
this state, Missouri and Iowa, to exterminate, utterly ex-
terminate the tvicked and abominable Mormon leaders, the
authors of our troubles.
Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed forth-
with to notify all persons in our township suspected of be-
ing the tools of the Prophet to leave immediately on pain
of instant vengeance. And we do recommend the inhabi-
tants of the adjcent townships to do the same, hereby pledg-
ing ourselves to render all the assistance they may require.
Resolved, that the time, in our opinion has arrived,
when the adherents of Smith, as a body, should be driven
from the surrounding settlements into Nauvoo. That the
Prophet and his miscreant adherents should then be de-
manded at their hands; and, if not surrendered, a tear of
extermination should be waged, to the entire destruction, if
necessary for our protection, of his adherents. And we
do hereby recommend this resolution to the consideration
of the several townships, to the mass convention to be
held at Carthage, hereby pledging ourselves to aid to the
utmost the complete consummation of the object in view,
that we may thereby be utterly relieved of the alarm
anxiety and trouble to which we are now subjected.
Resolved, That every citizen arm himself to be pre-
pared to sustain the resolutions herein contained.
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 493
It was further resolved that a deputation be sent to
Springfield to solicit executive help, but the intention was
expressed not to allow the mob movement to be retarded
by this action. The mobs at Warsaw and Carthage pre-
tended to believe that the destruction of the Warsaw Sig-
nal office had been threatened by Hyrum Smith. The
statement to this effect was of a piece with the lies told to
the governor. No threat had been made against the Sig-
nal office or the editor, and the mob well knew that any
attack from the citizens of Nauvoo upon anybody in Car-
thage or Warsaw was out of the question.
The mail communications of the Saints were cut off
with the connivance of officials.
A company of the mob numbering three hundred, be-
gan training at Carthage on the loth day of June. Arms
were brought to Warsaw and Carthage from Quincy and
other places. On the 17th of June, fifteen hundred Mis-
sourians were reported to have crossed the river and joined
the rabble at Warsaw. Five pieces of artillery had al-
ready been brought to the latter place. From Warsaw
the mob forces were to proceed to Carthage and join the
Quincy Grays and other companies from Adams County.
Scattering from here it was their purpose to seize the arms
of all the Saints in Hancock County, outside of Nauvoo,
and compel them to recant their faith or be exterminated.
They declared that they would take Joseph and Hyrum
and the city council from Nauvoo on Thursday, the 20th
of June, and deliver them up to sacrifice. If any resist-
ance were offered, the city would be shelled and all the
inhabitants slaughtered or driven away. One of the mob
leaders was Levi Williams, a colonel of militia and a Bap-
tist preacher, and to such as he was due the attempt to
make the Saints recant.
No word came from the governor. Was the city to
be left to massacre, pillage, ravishment, like Far West!
Forbid it, Heaven!
Under these circumstances, nothing remained but to
494 JOSEPH THE PKOPHE'i.
prepare for resistance — not attack, only defense. The
mayor, on the 18th of June, 1844, declared tho city of
Nauvoo under martial law, and called out the Legion to
protect the city from rapine and its people from massacre
by the mob.
CHAPTER LXII.
Joseph's dream — his last public address — consciousness
of his impending fate — his love for his brethren.
Events were now hurrying on to the last awful scene.
Joseph saw the sacrificial cup prepared for him and knew
that he must drink its bitter draught. As he draws nearer
to the final hour clearer and clearer becomes his mind, more
nearly divine are his works, and more closely do we see
the likeness to the sacred Master of whom Joseph deemed
himself but the humblest follower. It is no mere acci-
dental similarity this betrayal of the modern Prophet by
the modern Judas and this sacrifice of a holy name to
glut the hate of Pharisees. The Prophet's work is al-
most done. More plainly as the supreme moment draws
on he tells his followers of the fate awaiting him. At first
they scarcely understand, so used are they to see him in
the midst of peril . It may be that the vision of the end is
opened to Hy rum's view, for he will not leave his brother's
side. They have loved in life, the elder brother living
by the other's prophetic words, and in death they shall
not be separated. Joseph says: "Hyrum, take your
family on the next boat to Cincinnati. I want you to live
to avenge me." Hyrum replies: ' 'Joseph, I will not
leave you." It is not a vengeance of blood that the
Prophet means : it is the triumph of the work over all
murderous mobs, a triumph in which he wants his faithful
brother to share in the flesh.
After the traitors had gone out from Nauvoo to join with
the Pharisees in raising a mob, the Prophet related a
496 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
dream to his brethren, assembled in meeting. He said
that he thought that he was riding in a carriage, and his
guardian angel was with him. They saw two serpents in
the road firmly locked together, and the angel told him
that these were two of his traitorous enemies, Robert Fos-
ter andChauncey Higbee, so fast bound to each other that
of themselves they could not harm him. Then Joseph
rode on further, but his angel was no longer by his side ; and
William Law and Wilson Law came out upon him, drag-
ged him from his carriage, tied his hands and threw him
into a deep pit. After a time he partly loosened his hands
and climbed to the edge of the pit and looked out. He
saw Wilson Law attacked by ferocious beasts and William
Law expiring in the coils of a poisonous snake. They
cried for him :
Oh, Brother Joseph! Brother Joseph! save us or we
perish !
But he responded that they themselves had deprived
him of the power to aid them. Then, after a little time, his
angel came once more and said: "Joseph, why are you
here?"
And he responded: "Mine enemies fell upon me,
bound me, and threw me into this pit."
The angel took him by the hand and drew him up,
and they went away together.
Impressive as was the recital of this dream, his breth-
ren failed to comprehend its full significance; but scores
of them recalled it at a later time and preserved it as a
sacred remembrance.
On Sunday, the 16th day of June, 1844, Joseph
preached in the grove east of the temple to the assembled
Saints. The rain fell heavily, but the people would not
disperse while the Prophet spoke. Nor would he be
stayed by all these tears of nature, for it was one of
his last opportunities to advise the people for whom he
was willing to give his life. Often before the Prophet
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 497
had counseled his brethren that it was not necessary yet
to preach from the revelations of St. John the Divine;
that the plain principles of the gospel should first be
taught. But now, with the consciousness of his ap-
proaching death upon him, he read to the people the
third chapter of Revelation. It was to be a message of
comfort to the Saints when he was gone. He then turned
to the first chapter and read:
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,
and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the
kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed
us from our sins in his own blood.
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his
Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
He carried the Saints into a profounder depth of re-
vealed theology than ever before. He talked of the plur-
ality of Gods and the different glories of the eternal realm.
He said :
Go and read the vision in the Book of Covenants.
There is clearly illustrated glory upon glory — one glory of
the sun, another glory of the moon, and a glory of the
stars ; and as one star differeth from another star in glory,
even so do they of the telestial world differ in glory, and
every man who reigns in the celestial glory is a God to
his dominion.
* # * * *
It is in the order of heavenly things that God should
always send a new dispensation into the world when men
have apostatized from the truth and lost the Priesthood ;
but when men build without authority from God, and
when the floods come and the winds blow, their whole
fabric will crumble.
# -* * -X *
Oh thou God who art King of kings and Lord of
lords !
After the city had been declared under martial law,
34
498 JOSEPH THE PKOPHEI.
the Legion was drawn up in front of the mansion to be
addressed by the Prophet. He stood upon the frame of a
building opposite his house, dressed in his full uniform as
Lieutenant-General .
William W. Phelps read from an extra issue of the
Warsaw Signal of the day before, calling upon all the old
citizens to assist the mob in exterminating the leaders of
the Saints and driving the people into exile.
Joseph then recounted the doings of the time at Nau-
voo, and demonstrated that he and his brethren had been
willing and were still as willing as ever to submit to the
authority of law; that they had not transgressed the
statutes; that the effort making against them was the
device of Satan. He told them that a pretext had been
sought by their enemies in order that a band of infuriated
mob-men might be congregated to fall upon Nauvoo, to
murder, plunder, and ravish the innocent. He said:
We are American citizens. We live upon a soil, for
the liberties of which our fathers periled their lives and
spilt their blood upon the battle-field. Those rights, so
dearly purchased, shall not be disgracefully trodden under
foot by lawless mauraders without at least a noble effort
on our part to sustain our liberties.
Will you stand by me to the death, and sustain, at
the peril of your lives, the laws of our country, and the
liberties and privileges which our fathers have transmitted
unto us, sealed with their sacred blood? ['Aye,' shouted
thousands.] It is well. If vou had not done it, I would
have gone out there, [pointing to the west], and would
have raised up a mightier people.
I call all men, from Maine to the Eocky Mountains,
and from Mexico to British America, whose hearts thrill
with horror to behold the rights of freemen trampled un-
der foot, to come to the deliverance of this people from
the cruel hand of oppression, cruelty, anarchy and mis-
rule to which they have long been made subject. Come,
all ye lovers of liberty, break the oppressor's rod, loose
the iron grasp of monocracy, and bring to condign pun-
ishment all those who trample under foot the glorious
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 499
principles of our Constitution and the people's rights
[Drawing his sword and presenting it to heaven.] I call
God and angels to witness that I have unsheathed my
sword with a firm and unalterable determination that this
people shall have their legal rights, and be protected from
mob violence, or my blood shall be spilt upon the ground
like water, and my body consigned to the silent tomb.
While I live, I will never tamely submit to the dominion of
accursed mobocracy. I would welcome death rather than
submit to this oppression; and it would be sweet, oh,
sweet to rest in the grave, rather than submit to this op-
pression, confusion and alarm upon alarm, any longer.
* -X- * X -X
Peace shall be taken from the land which permits
these crimes against the Saints to go unavenged.
I call upon all friends of truth and liberty to come to
our assistance; and may the thunders of the Almighty,
and the forked lightnings of heaven, and pestilence, and
war, and bloodshed come down on those ungodly men
who seek to destroy my life and the lives of this innocent
people.
I do not regard my own life. I am ready to be offered
a sacrifice for this people; for what can our enemies do?
Only kill the body, and their power is then at an end.
Stand firm, my friends; never flinch. Do not seek to save
your lives, for he that is afraid to die for the truth will
lose eternal life. Hold out to the end, and we shall be
resurrected, and become like Gods and reign in celestial
kingdoms, principalities and eternal dominions, while this
mob will sink to the portion of all those who shed inno-
cent blood.
God has tried you. You are a good people; there-
fore I love you with all my heart. Greater love hath no
man than that he should lay down his life for his friends.
You have stood by me in the hour of trouble, and I am
willing to sacrifice my life for your preservation.
May the Lord God of Israel bless you forever and ever.
I say this in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and in the
authority of the holy Priesthood, which He hath conferred
upon me.
And all the people cried Amen!
The vast assemblage had listened to his words with
breathless attention, for he spoke with a power transcend-
500 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
ing anything that the Saints had ever before heard, even
from him whose speech was always soul-touching. Had
he expressed a wish to fight, his people would have fol-
lowed him with joy to the contest. It is no wonder that
his words sank deep into their hearts; it is no wonder
that to their sight he appeared grander than mortal. It
was the last time for many of them in the flesh that they
were to listen to the music of his voice or to feel the spell
ot his mighty inspiration. It was his last public address!
In a few short days that god- like form, so perfect in its
manly beauty, was to be locked in the embrace of the
tomb; and that voice, whose angelic sweetness had com-
forted them in the hour of darkest woe, was to be hushed
in death.
On the 20th of June he wrote to all the Apostles who
were absent on missions to come home immediately. Only
two of the Twelve were with him, Apostles John Taylor
and Willard Richards. He had often stated to the Twelve
that upon them would devolve the work when he was gone,
and he knew that their presence would soon be needed.
His consciousness of his impending fate and his forti-
tude were divine. His last deeds and his last thoughts
were for the cause and the people whom he loved.
CHAPTER LXIII.
PONTIUS PILATE FOKD's ENTRANCE UPON THE SCENE AT CAR-
THAGE — THE OLD CRY OF " CRUCIFY !" — JOSEPH'S FINAL
EFFORT TO AVERT DANGER FROM NAUVOO LACK OF
FAITH AND SUSPICIONS OF COWARDICE — A FATAL BLIND-
NESS — LIKE A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER— THE ARMS
DEMANDED — FAREWELL TO NAUVOO — AT CARTHAGE.
On the 21 st day of June, 1844, Thomas Ford, governor of the
state of Illinois, arrived at Carthage. What Pontius Pilate
was to the divine atonement on Calvary, this man Ford
was to the sealing martyrdom at Carthage."
He was a politician, a friend to the masses, right or
wrong. He submitted himself at Carthage to the direc-
tion of the mob leaders. From the moment of his arrival
there until the deed was done, he interposed no hand to
* Sixteen years after Ford had acquiesced in the murder of Joseph and Hyrum
Smith, he said in his history of Illinois:
The Christian world, which has hitherto regarded Mormonism with silent con
tempt, unhappily may yet have cause to fear its rapid increase Modern society is
full of material for such a religion At the death of the Prophet, fourteen years
after the first Mormon Church was organized, the Mormons in all the world num-
bered about two hundred thousand souls (one-half milliou according to their sta-
tistics); a number equal, perhaps to the number of Christians when the Christian
Church was of the same age. It is to be feared that, in the course of a century,
some gifted man like Paul,' some splendid orator, who will be able by his eloquence
to attract crowds of the thousands who are ever ready to hear, aud be carried away
by the sounding brass and tinkling cymbal of sparkling oratory, may command a
hearing, may succeed in breathing a new life into this modern Mahometanism, and
make the name of the martyred Joseph ring as loud, and stir the souls of men as
much, as the mighty name of Christ itself. Sharon, Palmyra, Manchester, Kirt-
land, Far West, Adam-ondi-Ahman, Ramus, Nauvoo and the Carthage jail, may be-
come holy and venerable names, places of classic interest, in another age: like
Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives, and Mount Calvary to
the Christian, and Mecca and Medina to the Turk. And in that event, the author
of this history feels degraded by the reflection, that the humble governor of an ob-
scure state, who woutd otherwise be fort/often in a few years, stands a fair chance,
like Pilate and Herod, by their official connection with the true religion, of being
dragged down to posterity with an immortal name, hitched on to the memory of a
miserable impostor. There may be those wh se ambition would lead them to de-
sire an immortal name in history, even in those humbling terms. I am not one of
that number.
502 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
stay the awful deed. He could not have been so blind as
to fail in seeing that murder impended for the Prophet and
Patriarch; and that extermination threatened the Saints.
A statesman and a true and brave patriot could have put
forth his power and dissipated the evils at a stroke ; but
Ford was not of such mettle. He affected to view Joseph
and his brethren as rebels and the mob as law-abiding
citizens — at best, he classed them altogether. How he
must have cringed when the Prophet asked him:
Sir, is it not an easy matter to distinguish between
those who have pledged themselves to exterminate inno-
cent men, women and children, and those who have only
stood in their own defense, and in defense of their inno-
cent families, and that, too, in accordance with the Con-
stitution and laws of the country as required by the oaths,
and as good and law-abiding citizens?
/
On the 21st Ford wrote to Joseph asking for a confer-
ence at Carthage with discreet representatives from Nau-
voo. Apostle John Taylor and Dr. John M. Bernhisel
went at once, in obedience to this request, carrying with
them a full account of the situation and the circumstances
which had led to it, and a score of affidavits from trust-
worthy men — some of whom were not connected with the
Prophet or his people — showing clearly the purpose of the
mob to commit murder. The next day Lucien Wood-
worth was sent to him from Nauvoo, with further docu-
ments and with a letter from the Prophet. When Apos-
tle Taylor and Dr. Bernhisel reached Carthage, they found
that the governor had taken the entire mob into his ser-
vice; that he had passed judicially upon the municipal
ordinances and proceedings at Nauvoo ; and that, without
hearing from them, he had decided upon his course. He
received them coolly and as he read their communications
aloud, he was surrounded by mobocrats who interrupted
him at every sentence with a torrent of profanity and
threats. He could listen to no argument and weigh no
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 503
justice, for the cry was in his ears, * 'Crucify! Crucify!"
By the hands of these brethren he sent a communication
back to Nauvoo to require "all who are or shall be ac-
cused, to submit themselves to arrest by the same consta-
ble, by virtue of the same warrant, to be tried by the same
magistrate whose authority had heretofore been re-
sisted."
He asked that martial law should be abolished. He
sent the constable with a guard to Nauvoo to secure
Joseph and his friends. Of this circumstance Ford him-
self says:
Upon the arrival of the constable and guard [at Nau-
voo], the mayor and common council at once signified
their willingness to surrender, and stated their readiness
to proceed to Carthage next morning at 8 o'clock. Mar-
tial law had previously been abolished. The hour of 8
o'clock came, and the accused failed to make their ap-
pearance. The constable and his escort returned. The
constable made no effort to arrest any of them, or would
he or the guard delay their departure one minute beyond
the time to see whether an arrest could be made. Upon
their return, they reported that they had been informed
that the accused had fled and could not be found.
I immediately proposed to a council of officers to
march into Nauvoo with a small force then under my com-
mand, but the officers were of opinion that it was too
small, and many of them insisted upon a further call of
the militia. Upon reflection, I was of opinion that the,
officers were right in the estimate of our force, and the
project for immediate action was abandoned. I was soon
informed, however, of the conduct of the constable and
guard, and then I was perfectly satisfied that a most base,
fraud had been attempted; that, in fact, it was feared
that the Mormons would submit, and thereby entitle
themselves to the protection of the law. It was very ap-
parent that many of the bustling, active spirits were afraid
that there would be no occasion for calling out an over-
whelming militia force, for marching it into Nauvoo, for
probable mutiny when there, and for the extermination of
the Mormon race. It appeared that the constable and the
504 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
escort were fully in the secret, and acted well their part
to promote the conspiracy.
Informed of all the plots against him and seeing the
executive weakness or connivance with the mob the Proph-
et determined to make one final effort to draw the menace
from Nauvoo. He addressed a letter to the governor, in
which he exposed the fallacy and cowardice of Ford's offi-
cial proceedings and personal position. Then, after dark
on the night of the 22nd of June, he called Hyrum, Wil-
lard Richards, John Taylor, W. W. Phelps, A. C. Hodge,
John L. Butler, Alpheus Cutler and some others into his
house and read to them the letter from the governor,
merely remarking: "There is no mercy — no mercy here! "
Hyrum said : ' 'No ; as sure as we fall into their hands,
we are dead men."
Joseph then told the brethren that if he and Hyrum
should leave Nauvoo the attention of the mob would be
attracted away from the Saints and in pursuit of the
Prophet and Patriarch; and if the people would go quietly
about their business none of them would be harmed.
With this purpose he prepared to cross the river and go
into the west. That night they bade farewell to their
families. As they departed it was seen that Joseph's
tears were falling fast, and he uttered not a word while
they walked down to the bank of the river. Joseph, Hy-
rum and Willard, rowed by Orrin P. Rockwell, crossed
the Mississippi in a leaky skiff, bailing out the water with
their boots and shoes to keep the frail boat from sinking.
They found refuge on the Iowa side at the house of
Brother William Jordan, and made immediate preparations
to depart toward the Rocky Mountains. But while they
were packing their provisions, on the 23rd day of June,'
messengers came from Emma and others in Nauvoo, en-
creating the Prophet to return and by inuendo accusing
him of cowardice in thus leaving the city. It was a fatal
blindness on the part of these professed friends. They
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 505
seemed to fear that the governor, failing to find Joseph
and Hyrum, would fall upon Nauvoo with the militia.
The Prophet knew better, that Ford would not dare such
a thing as this — he might consent to the murder of indi-
viduals but he dare not lead an army against an unoffend-
ing city. It is pitiable to think that the Saints could have
so misjudged their leader as to suspect him of cowardice.
But it is often so, that men placed in responsible stations,
who act by the light of heaven and for the benefit of their
brethren, without one thought of personal safety or ad-
vantage, are condemned by the unthinking.
"We are going back to be butchered," said Joseph;
"If we live or die we will be reconciled to our fate," said
Hyrum; as they moved down to the river to cross to Nau-
voo on that 23rd day of June. While they walked Joseph
fell behind, deep in thought. Someone shouted to him to
quicken his steps, and he remarked: "There is time
enough for the slaughter."
That night, Sunday, June 23rd, 1844, Joseph sent a
letter to the governor informing him that he would go to
Carthage the next morning to meet his trial. He asked
that the governor send a posse to meet him near the
Mound, outside of Carthage, about two o'clock on the af-
ternoon of the 24th. Seeing the determination of Joseph,
the very friends who had induced him to return would
now have interposed; but he was firm. To remain in
Nauvoo would be to draw the vengeance of the mob upon
that city. The next morning Elder Jedediah M. Grant and
Theodore Turley, who had carried Joseph's communica-
tion to the governor, returned to Nauvoo and repo;ted
their mission. Ford had at first agreed to send a posse
to escort Joseph in safety to Carthage, but some of the
mobocrats and apostates made bitter speeches to him and
he rescinded his promise. He refused to send or allow an
escort for Joseph, "as it was an honor not given to any
other citizen." He would not even allow Elders Grant
and Turley to remain in Carthage that night, but sent
506 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
them out with a demand that Joseph should appear unac-
companied at Carthage the next morning. The messen-
gers told the Prophet that intense excitement existed at
Carthage; but he would not heed their warning.
On the morning of Monday, the 24th of June, 1844,
Joseph and the seventeen other men named in the old writ
from Morrison, started from Nauvoo. When they reached
the temple, the Prophet looked upon it with a long and
wistful gaze, and then turned his eyes upon the city, say-
ing: This is the loveliest place and these are the best peo-
ple under the heavens. Little do they know the trials that
await them."
As they passed out of the city the Prophet said to
Daniel H. Wells: "Squire Wells, I wish you to cherish my
memory, and not think me the worst man in the world,
either."
On the way out they met Captain Dunn coming from
Carthage with about sixty mounted men. Joseph said:
"Do not be alarmed, brethren, for they cannot do more
to you than the enemies of truth did to the ancient Saints
—they can only kill the body."
Dunn presented to Joseph an order from Governor
Ford for all the state arms in the possession of the Nauvoo
Legion. Joseph immediately countersigned tlie order.
Then he turned to the company and spoke these memor-
able words :
I AM GOING LIKE A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER, BUT I AM
CALM AS A SUMMER'S MORNING. I HAVE A CONSCIENCE VOID
OF OFFENSE TOWARD GOD AND TOWARD ALL MEN.
Again, he said: "If they take my life I shall die an in-
nocent man, and my blood shall cry from the ground for
vengeance, and it shall yet be said of me, 'He was mur-
dered in cold blood.' "
Joseph sent Henry Gr. Sherwood back to Nauvoo to get
the arms ready for Captain Dunn and to have all things
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 507
done with good order and regularity. But Dunn feared
that the governor's demand, coming at such a time, would
excite resistance, and he requested Joseph and the breth-
ren to return with him to the city under a pledge of mutual
protection. He preferred to depend upon the well-known
integrity of Joseph rather than to risk the wounded feel-
ings of a much-abused people. When the order for the
state arms was made known in Nauvoo many of the
brethren regarded this as a preparation for another Far
West tragedy: but they heeded the Prophet's word and
unresistingly yielded obedience to the requirement.
It was an outrage to ask these arms under the circum-
stances; they were borne by men who were on the defen-
sive, not the offensive — men who carried them for the
protection of home and virtue, and who had not set foot
outside the limits of their own city. Ford's action in this
matter was atrocious ; the compliance of the Prophet and
the Saints was noble.
Joseph again bade farewell to his family, and looked
again and again upon the fair domain which his mortal
eyes were beholding for the last time. His face was white
and luminous, yet upon it and in his eyes was a look of
anguish. His friends would even now have detained him,
be the consequences what they might; but he told them he
must either yield himself to his sworn murderers or the
city would be given up to massacre and pillage under the
sanction of the governor.
Shortly after leaving Nauvoo they met Brother A. C.
Hodge coming from Carthage, who told them that a min-
ister — whom Joseph had previously treated with great
kindness — warned him that so sure as Joseph and Hyrum
came to Carthage they would be killed. He also said that
Hamilton, the innkeeper at Carthage, had pointed to the
Carthage Greys, saying: "Hodge, there are the boys that
will settle you Mormons. ' '
A little further on the way, the Prophet received let-
ters from attorneys at Carthage to whom the governor
508 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
had pledged his own honor and the honor of the state of
Illinois that the prisoners should be protected from all
harm. This pledge Ford reiterated often; and upon the
strength of it many of the Prophet's friends felt that he
was safe.
It was not until a little before midnight that the party
reached Carthage, but they found the mob up and expect-
ing them with great anxiety. As they passed the public
square, many troops, especially the Carthage Greys, gave
way to a frenzy of joy.
Some of them shouted, "God damn you, old Joe
Smith, we have got you now." Others cried, "Where is
the damned Prophet!" "Stand away, you McDonough
boys, and let us shoot the damned Mormons." "Clear
the way and let us have a view of Joe Smith, the Prophet
of God. He has seen the last of Nauvoo. We'll use him
up now, and kill all the damned Mormons."
The profanity of the mob was an avalanche. Such
ravings and cursings were scarcely ever before heard from
civilized men. The governor was an ear witness to it all
and leaned from his tavern window to say in a fawning
voice to the rabble:
Gentlemen, I know your ^reat anxiety to see Mr.
Smith, which is natural enough, but it is quite too late
tonight for you to have that opportunity; but I assure
you, gentlemen, you shall have that privilege tomorrow
morning, as I will cause him to pass before the troops
upon the square, and I now wish you, with this assurance,
quietly and peaceably to return to your quarters.
At this there was a hurrah for Tom Ford, and the
mob obeyed his wish.
The prisoners were quartered at the tavern of Hamil-
ton, who had threatened Brother Hodge that the Carthage
Greys would settle the "Mormons." At the same inn
was a party of apostates. One of them, John A. Hicks,
formerly president of the Elders' quorum, stated to
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 509
Brother Cyrus H. Wheelock that it was determined to
shed the blood of Joseph Smith, whether he was cleared
by the law or not. Hicks talked freely and unreservedly
upon the subject, as if he were discoursing upon the most
common occurrence of life; and boldly declared that the
Laws, the Higbees and the Fosters were all agreed upon
this course.
Elder Wheelock carried this information to Governor
Ford, but that craven wretch treated it with perfect indif-
ference and suffered Hicks and his associates to go on
with their plans for murder.
A few hours later the most prominent enemies of the
Prophet at Carthage declared:
There is nothing against these men; the law cannot reach
them, but poivder and ball shall. Theij ivill never get out
of Carthage alive.
CHAPTER LXIV.
VOLUNTARY YIELDING TO PROCESS — JOSEPH AND HYBUM
CHARGED WITH TREASON — FORD'S COWARDICE AND FALSE-
HOOD — IN CARTHAGE JAIL — THE FIRST DAY AND NIGHT —
PREACHING TO THE GUARDS — FORD LEAVES THE MARTYRS
TO THEIR FATE.
When the morning came on the 25th of June, 1844,
Joseph and his brethren voluntarily presented themselves
to Constable. J3ettisworth, who had helcTTEe originaTwrit
against them. They sought and had an interview with
the governor at his headquarters ; and he then and there
pledged his own faith and that of the state of Illinois that
Joseph and Hyrum and the other prisoners should be
protected from personal violence and should have^ a fair
and impartial trial.
A few moments after 8 o'clock a.m., Joseph and
Hyrum were arrested upon warrants issued by Justice
Robert F. Smith, of Carthage, charging them with trea-
son, upon the affidavits of Augustus Spencer and Henry
0. Norton.
After making an inflammable speech to the rabble
army, the governor led the brothers before the troops, as
the mob had requested to have a clear view of Joseph
and Hyrum. As they passed in front of the lines, Ford
introduced the Prophet and Patriarch as Generals Joseph
and Hyrum Smith. The Carthage Greys refused to re-
ceive them by that introduction, and some of the officers
threw up their hats, drew their swords and said: " We will
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 511
he damned Morr
introduce ourselves to the damned Mormons in a different
style." The Governor quieted them by saying:
You shall have full satisfaction.
An hour later the Carthage Greys revolted and were
put under guard ; they could not be content to wait an-
other hour for the murder. But they were soon released.
Joseph had asked a private interview with Ford, but
it had been refused. In declining, the governor looked
down with shame.
In the afternoon several officers of the mob militia
called upon Joseph at the tavern. They gazed upon him
with much curiosity, and he asked them if he appeared
like a desperate character. They replied that his out-
ward appearance seemed to indicate exactly the opposite,
but they could not tell what was in his heart. To this
Joseph responded:
Very true, gentlemen, you cannot see what is in my
heart, and you are therefore unable to judge me or my in-
tentions; but I can see what is in your hearts, and will
tell you what I see. I can see you thirst for blood, and
nothing but my blood will satisfy you. It is not for crime
of any description that I and my brethren are thus con-
tinually persecuted and harassed by our enemies, but
there are other motives, and some of them I have ex-
pressed, so far as relates to myself; and inasmuch as you
and the people thirst for blood, I prophesy, in the name
of the Lord, that you shall witness scenes of blood and
sorrow to your entire satisfaction. Your souls shall be
perfectly satiated with blood, and many of you who are
now present shall have an opportunity to face the cannon's
mouth from sources you think not of; and those people
that desire this great evil upon me and my brethren, shall
be filled with regret and sorrow because of the scenes of
desolation and distress that await them. They shall seek
for peace, and shall not be able to find it. Gentlemen,
you will find what I have told you to be true.
At 4 o'clock Joseph and Hyrum, and thirteen other
brethren were taken before Robert F. Smith, justice of
512 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
the peace and captain of the Carthage Greys, on a charge
of riot in destroying the printing press of the Expositor.
Robert Smith took the place of Morrison, by the direction
of the mob and with the connivance of the governor, al-
though Ford had stated that the hearing must be had be-
fore the same justice who issued the original writ. Bat he
had only made this assertion in order to justify himself in
overlooking the proceedings in Justice Wells' court. Now
that he had the brethren at Carthage he was willing that
the mob should have them tried before the most vindictive
man to be found exercising judicial functions. Upon this
hearing before Robert F. Smith, the fifteen brethren were
admitted to bail in the sum of $7,500, and John S. Full-
mer, Edward Hunter, Dan Jones, John Benbow, and
others as sureties. Then the court was adjourned with-
out calling on Joseph and Hyrum to answer to the charge
of treason, or even intimating to them or their counsel
that an examination of this charge was to be made.
About dark that night the constable appeared with a
mittimus from Justice Smith and demanded that Joseph
and Hyrum go to jail upon the charge of treason. This
mittimus falsely alleged that the trial for treason had been
begun and had been postponed. Joseph and his counsel,
Messrs. Woods and Reid, exposed this tyrannical proceed-
ing, showing clearly that the law did not permit the jus-
tice to^send them to jail by mittimus without; TJaying"them
first brought before him for examination, and appealed
to the governor. .-He refused assistance. A littlelater
Captain and Justice Robert F. Smith applied to him to
know how he should enforce the illegal mittimus, and the
governor said significantly: "You have the Carthage
Greys at your command . ' ' The mob captain took the
hint and dragged the prisoners violently to jail.
» Apostles John Taylor and Willard Richards, and John
P. Greene, Stephen Markham, Dan Jones, John S. Full-
mer, Dr. Southwick and Lorenzo D. Wasson accompanied
the Prophet and Patriarch to prison; and it is well that
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 513
they did so. Stephen Markham and Dan Jones walked
one on either side of Joseph and fly rum, keeping off the
drunken rabble which several times broke through the
ranks of the file of soldiers guarding the brethren on their
way to prison.
J> They made their dungeon seem a heaven that night
by their prayers and by their faith.
After spending the night in Carthage jail, Joseph
wrote on the morning of June 26th, 1844, soliciting an in-
terview with Ford. The governor sent back a favorable
reply, and to the messengers he spoke apologetically of
his failure to interfere the previous night. Apostle John
Taylor had been to him in the meantime and had made
him feel his falseness and cowardice. About 9:30 a. m.
the governor came to the prison and had a lengthy inter-
view with Joseph. President Taylor was present and
made an extensive report of the conversation. ^Joseph
charged Governor Ford with absolute knowledge that the
enemies of the Saints had first commenced these difficulties ;
that Joseph and his people had not transgressed the law;
and that the Nauvoo Legion had only been ordered out in
pursuance of orders received by Joseph from the goveiraor
requiring him to 'assemble the Legion for the protection
of Nauvoo against armed bands of marauders.
As they parted the governor reiterated his promise,
pledging his faith, the honor of his officers, and the good
name of the state of Illinois that the brethren would be pro-
tected. He said that he might go to Nauvoo that day or
the next, and if so he would take Joseph wiChTIim.
After Ford left the prison, he went to Hamilton's
hotel and began to converse with a mob soldier standing
there. Alfred Randall, a man of approved veracity, tes-
tified that he heard the mobocrat saying to Ford, "The
soldiers are determined to see Joe Smith dead before they
leave here;" and heard Ford reply, "If yoaknow of any
such thing keep it to yourself." It was common conver-
sation that day on the camp ground and in the dining-
35
514 JOSEPH THE PKOPHEI.
room of the hotel in the presence of Governor Ford: "The
law is too short for these men, but they must not be suf-
fered to go at large." "No; if the law will not reach
them powder and ball must."
Most of the afternoon of the 26th was spent by
Dan Jones and Stephen Markham in hewing the warped
door of the cell in which the brethren were confined with
a penknife so that it would fasten in the frame.
The brethren preached by turns to the guards, several
of whom were relieved before their watch was out because
they admitted that they were convinced of the innocence
of the prisoners.
One of them said: "We have been imposed upon;
these men are guiltless."
Another said: "Let us go home, boys, for I will not
fight any longer against these men."
During the day Hyrum vainly attempted to lead
Joseph into a belief that his life would be saved. To his
brethren Joseph said: "Could my brother Hyrum but be
liberated it would not matter so much about me."
Then he said: "Poor Kigdon, I am glad he has gone
to Pittsburg out of the way. Were he to preside he would
lead the Church to destruction in less than five years."
At half-past two that afternoon Constable Bettisworth
demanded the persons of the prisoners from the jailor
upon an order signed by Justice Robert F. Smith. The
jailor refused, as the prisoners had been committed to his
charge to be held by him until released from his custody
by due course of law. The justice then inquired of the
governor what he should do, and Ford once more re-
sponded: "There are the Carthage Greys under your com-
mand, bring them out; we have plenty of troops."
Again taking the significant hint, the mob captain
and justice used his willing rabble of soldiers to drag
Joseph and Hyrnmjllegally away. He had them brought
before him, Robert F. Smith, captain of the Carthage
Greys', at the court house. The grave charge against
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 515
them was treason and when they asked for time in which
to get witnesses, they were vehemently opposed. Finally
at five o'clock in the afternoon the court adjourned un-
til noon of the next day to give the defendants oppor-
tunity to send to Nauvoo, twenty miles distant, and ob-
tain their witnesses. Subsequently, without any notifi-
cation to the prisoners or their counsel, the mob justice
and captain postponed the trial until the 29th of June.
Patriarch John Smith, father of Apostle George A.
Smith, came from Macedonia to see his nephews Joseph
and Hyrum in jail. He narrowly escaped with his life
from mobbers on the way. It was with difficulty that
he secured admission to the prison. After remaining
an hour he left the jail to carry a message to Almon W.
Babbitt, requesting his assistance as attorney for the
Prophet at the expected trial. Patriarch John Smith
found Babbitt, but learned from him that he could not
comply with Joseph's request.
That night in prison Hyrum read from the Book of
Mormon concerning the sufferings and deliverance of the
servants of God from the hands of their enemie^3*osephM^^
arose and bore a powerful testimony to the guards to the "
divinity of the book; he declared that the gospel had been
restored and that the kingdom of God was again estab-
lished on the earth for the sake of which he was then in-
carcerated in prison, and not because he had violated any
law of God or man) They retired to rest very late. In
the room with me Prophet and Patriarch were Apostles
John Taylor and Willard Richards and Elders John S.
Fullmer, Stephen Markham and Dan Jones.
In the night Joseph whispered to Dan Jones, "Are
you afraid to die?"
Brother Jones answered: "Has that time come, think
you? Engaged in such a cause I do not think that death
would have many terrors."
Joseph replied: "You will yet see Wales and fulfill
the mission appointed you, before you die."*
* This r^rediction was gloriously fulfilled.
'.-rl
516 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
In the morning Dan Jones went down, at the Proph-
et's request, to learn the cause of a disturbance of the
night, and Frank Worrell, the officer of the guard of
Carthage Greys, said to Dan:
We have had too much trouble to bring old Joe here
to let him ever escape alive, and unless you want to die
with him, you had better leave before sundown; and you
are not a damned bit better than him for taking'his part,
and you'll see that I can prophesy better than old Joe, for
neither he nor his brother, nor anyone who will remain
with them, will see the sun set today.
Brother Jones started to find the governor and on the
way saw an assemblage of the mob, and heard one of them
who was making a speech say :
Our troops will be discharged this morning in obedi-
ence to order, and for a sham we will leave the town; but
when the governor and the McDonough troops have left for
Nauvoo this forenoon, we will return and kill these men,
if we have to tear the jail down.
When Dan found the governor, and related the
threats, Ford only sneered at him. Ford_was actually
preparing to gcrt<rNauvoo. He had disbanded some of
the troops and in his hearing they declared that they
would return and kill Joseph and Hyrum as soon as he
was far enough away from town.
Ford refused permits for the Prophet's friends to pass
in and out of the prison. This deprived Joseph and Hy-
rum of the society of all but Apostles Taylor and Richards
who remained constantly with them.
The governor held consultation with the officers of
the mob army. A Dr. South wick who was there after-
ward declared that the purpose of the meeting was to con-
sider the best way of stopping Joseph Smith's career, as
his views on the government were being widely circulated
and they took like wildfire. The mobocrats said that if
he did not get into the presidential chair this election he
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 517
would be sure to next time ; and if Illinois and Missouri
would join together and kill him, they would not be
brought to justice for it.
As the governor continued his preparations to depart
from Carthage to Nauvoo, and as it was clear that he in-
tended to break his solemn promise by failing to take
Joseph with him, Cyrus H. Wheelock, Dan Jones and
John P. Greene went in town to him and protested with
all possible solemnity against his deed. He professed to
reassure them; and then he took with him Captain Dunn,
and his company — of all the militia the least vindictive
against the Prophet; and left as a guard the Carthage
Greys— of all the mob the most bloodthirsty. These
Carthage Greys had but two days before been under arrest
for insulting the commanding general; their conduct had
shown them to be notoriously hostile to the prisoners ; and
they had often in the governor's hearing threatened the
<q lives of Joseph and Hyrum. Of the disbanded troops the
)j governor permitted two or three hundred under Colonel
^EevTWilliams, a sectarian preacher and a sworn enemy
to Joseph, to remain encamped in the vicinity of Carth-
age, awaiting the hour when they might safely descend
upon the jail.
Cyrus H. Wheelock was permitted to enter the prison,
and during his visit he slipped a small revolver, of the
kind known in those days as the "pepper-box" revolver,
into Joseph's pocket. Cyrus was going to Nauvoo with
messages from the brethren in prison. They were so
numerous that Dr. Richards proposed to write them down
feeling that Wheelock might forget, but Hyrum fastened
his eye upon the messenger, and with' a look of penetra-
tion, said:
Brother Wheelock will remember all that we tell him,
and he will never forget the occurrences of this day.
CHAPTER LXV.
ADMINISTRATION OF THE HOLY ENDOWMENTS — THE WORK OF
THE CLOSING MONTHS — UNION OF SATANIC FORCES
AGAINST THE PROPHET — A MOMENTARY GLANCE AT HIM
BEFORE THE FINAL HOUR.
Before recounting the final act which closed this great
life, we may pause to glance at some of the work of the
Prophet and some of the difficulties which beset his path
and wrought the martyrdom.
During the winter of 1843-4 superhuman power rested
upon the Prophet in his teachings and administrations.
He was impelled to constant labor in his ministry as if he
had the briefest possible time in which to accomplish his
work. Perhaps he was not fully aware how little there
was of mortal life left to him, yet many of his expressions
at this time were recalled by the Apostles and others after-
wards as foreshadowing the nearness of his departure.
He bestowed upon the faithful Apostles and other chosen
ones the endowments, and gave them the keys of
the Priesthood in their fullness as he had received
them. He also taught and administered to them the
sealing ordinances, explaining in great plainness and
power the manner in which husbands and wives, parents
and children are to be united by eternal ties, and the
whole human family, back to Father Adam, be linked
together in indissoluble bonds. In imparting these glori-
ous principles aud bestowing these keys and powers upon
his fellow Apostles, the Prophet was filled with god-like
power. More important doctrines and ordinances were
never imparted unto man. The spirit which rested upon
Joseph in teaching and upon the people in listening to
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 519
them (for he dwelt much upon these principles in his pub-
lic discourses) will never be forgotten by those who heard
him. It was to the deep and abiding effect of these
teachings upon the minds of the Saints that the extraordi-
nary exertions which were made after his death in com-
pleting the temple may chiefly be attributed.
The perusal of the History of the Church during the
life of Joseph the Prophet suggests many reflections and
to many minds prompts many inquiries. One cannot fail
to be struck with the unceasing opposition with which he
had to contend. From the day that he received the first
communication from heaven up to the day of his martyr-
dom his pathway was beset with difficulties, his liberty
and life were constantly menaced. Had he been an
ordinary man he would have been crushed in spirit and
sunk in despair under the relentless attacks which were
made upon him. To find a parallel to his case we must
go back to the days of our Savior and His Apostles and
the prophets who preceded them-. Joseph's life was
sought for with satanic hate. The thirst for his blood
was unappeasable. Had there not been a special prov-
idence exercised in his behalf to preserve him until his
mission should be fulfilled, he would have been slain by
murderous hands long before the dreadful day at Carth-
age.
To the inexperienced reader it seems unaccountable
that any generation of men could have been so blind to
everything god-like, so dead to every humane sentiment,
so utterly cruel and barbarous, as not to recognize in the
teachings, works and life of God's beloved Son the divin-
ity with which He was clothed and to nail Him upon a
cross between two thieves. Also that His chosen Apostles,
filled with angelic power, preaching so pure a doctrine
and laboring with such self-denial and unselfish zeal for
the salvation of mankind, should have been slain by the
very people whose benefactors they sought to be.
520 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
Bat in our own age the same scenes are re-enacted.
Joseph Smith, a Prophet of God, called by the Almighty
to receive the everlasting Priesthood to lay the founda-
tion of the Church of Christ, and to preach the ancient
pure gospel, performs the mission to which be was di-
vinely appointed, and is pursued with vindictive hate
through his life, and is finally barbarously slain. The
explanation of all this is given by the Lord Himself in His
words to His disciples: t4 If ye were of the world, the world
would love his own; but because ye are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
hateth you."
According to the predictions, this is the dispensation
of the fullness of times — the crowning dispensation of all.
To leave the world without excuse and to prepare the
way for the second coming of the Lord, the holy Priest-
hood, the pure gospel and the true Church of Christ are
restored to earth through the ministration of angels.
Satan, fully conscious that if these prevail his dominion
will be overthrown, arrays all his forces against the serv-
ants and work of God. He resorts to his old tactics to
accomplish his purposes. He was a liar and a murderer
from the beginning. Lies and murder are the agencies
he depends upon. Many, being free agents and having
power to choose whom they will serve, become the instru-
ments of hate, and the earth is drenched with the blood
of innocence. The Prophet Joseph, while he lived, was
the conspicuous object of his vengeance. Like Paul, he
could have recounted a long list of perils which he had to
encounter, not the least of which, as in the case of Paul,
were "perils among false brethren." \~ Of all the evils
with which this great Prophet had to contend, none were
so grievous or so hard to be borne as the defection and
treason of "false brethren." The most deadly wounds he
ever received were from those who, Judas-like, had been
his companions. When, through their transgressions, they
lost the Spirit of God, and turned away from the
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 521
truth, the spirit of murder took possession of them, they
became fit instruments for Satan's service, and to this
class more than to any others, can the foul murders of the
27th of June, 1844, be charged.
The great bulk of those who composed the mobs
which attacked the Saints in Missouri and Illinois were
ignorant men. Their passions were easily aroused. A
few cunning and unscrupulous leaders were able to use
them to accomplish their ends. Seeing the increase of
the Saints, they were easily persuaded that, if left to
themselves, they would soon outnumber the old. settlers,
they would outvote them, take possession of the offices,
and drive them out of the country. By such representa-
tions and artifices as these, appealing to the lowest and
basest of motives, they were able to inflame the minds of
ignorant and unprincipled men. Envious of the pros-
perity of the Saints, coveting their possessions, they
thought to profit in driving them from their homes.
Apostates had personal vengeance and hates to gratify ;
politicians saw a growing power which they could not
control, and whose union made it formidable in county
and state affairs ; the clergy saw a system of religion which
they could not controvert; and the rabble had their cupid-
ity excited at the prospect of plunder, which might fall to
them through the abandonment of lands and improvements
and stock by the people whom they were driving away.
CHAPTER LXVI.
THE LAST DAY— FOKD'S ACTION AT NAUVOO — CONSPIRACY BE-
TWEEN THE GUARDS AND THE MURDEROUS MOB MILITIA
— THE PRISONERS LEFT TO THEIR FATE— " A POOR WAY-
FARING MAN OF GRIEF"— THE ASSAULT AND THE MUR-
DER — THE END.
Governor Ford went to Nauvoo on the morning of the
27th of June, 1844, accompanied by a body of troops.
When he arrived there he made a public speech before
thousands of the Saints, in which he used this expression:
"A great crime has been done by destroying the Expositor
press, and placing the city under martial law, and a severe
atonement must be made, so prepare your minds for the
emergency.
Whether Ford was fully cognizant of the plot to mur-
der the Prophet during his absence from Carthage is not
altogether clear. He was unquestionably aware of the
murderous feeling which existed among the Carthage
Greys, and the men who were associated with LevVWil-
Tiams and the Laws, Higbees, Fosters- and _others~at
Carthage, It has been stated upon good authority, and
it has never been disputed, that^he was informed of the
intentions of the mob. But he ventured into Nauvoo.
Would a cowardly man like he was have dared to risk
himself in such a manner at such a time, if he was fully
advised of the time the massacre was to take place? The
presumption is that he was indifferent as to the fate which
would befall the Prophet and his companions ; but that he
did not know, as some of his officers did, that the bloody
deed was to be consummated while he was absent at Nau-
voo. If Ford had been a man of greater daring, it might
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 523
with certainty be assured that his visit to Nauvoo was a
part of the conspiracy, and that he went there to avoid
the appearance of complicity in the murder. This is cer-
tain, that while Ford was addressing the people, a sound
like the distant firing of a cannon, or the slight sound of
distant rumbling thunder, was heard by many in the audi-
ence, and by some of Ford's aides who stood near him,
and that they whispered something to him, and without
loss of time and in the greatest haste, he and his escort
rode out of Nauvoo. Their departure was more like a
flight than the decorous leave-taking of the executive of
the st\te accompanied by a command of troops. A
cannon was fired at a certain point distant from Carth-
age, as a signal that the massacre had been accomplished;
but it was never knowfPwhether or not this was the
sound which attracted attention at Nauvoo. Governor
Ford's hasty flight at that time has always been deemed
conclusive evidence that he had been informed by some
of his companions — if he had not been fully advised of
the plot and its details before — that Joseph Smith and his
companions had been murdered.
Ford and his aides occupied a room in the Nauvoo
mansion that day. Orrin P. Rockwell heard one of them
at three o'clock say: "the deed is done before this
time."
The governor and his company went to the temple.
Some of the officers broke the horns from the oxen sup-
porting the baptismal font, while Ford made rare sport of
the sacred edifice.
One of his attendants remarked: "This temple is a
curious piece of workmanship; and it was a damned
shame that they did not let Joe Smith finish it."
Another said: "But he is dead by this time, and he
will never see this temple again."
Brother William Gr. Sterrett stood by and replied:
"They cannot kill him until he has finished his work."
At this Ford gave a significant smile and one of his
524 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
aids standing by said: "Whether he has finished his work
or not, by God, he will not see this place again, for he is
finished before this time."
At Carthage, after the governor left, the external
situation was this: The guarding_of the jail had been left
to General Deming who had the Carthage Greys under
his command; but Deming retired during the day for fear
of his life, as he saw the determination of the troops to
connive at murder. The main body of the company was
stationed in the public square, one hundred and fifty yards
from the jail, awhile eight men were detailed, under the
command of Sergeant Frank A. Worrell, to guard the
prisoners^ The disbanded mob militia had come up to
Carthage to the number of two hundred, w ith their face s
blackened with powder and. mud. The Carthage Greys
were informed that the assassin band was ready ; and it was
then arranged that the guard at the jail should load with
blank cartridges and that the mob should attack the prison
and meet with some show of resistance.
Within the jail, the brethren, Joseph and Hyrum,
John Taylor and Willard Eichards, were confined in a
room upstairs and were busy, during the day, writing let-
ters, conversing and praying__and singings Between three,
a nd four o'clock at the Prop het ? s__rec3[u^^t,_Apostle Taylor
sang this sweet and comf orting poem :
A poor wayfaring man of grief,
Hath often cross 'd me on my way,
Who sued so humbly for relief
That I could never answer Nay.
I had not power to ask his name ;
Whither he went or whence he came ;
Yet there was something in his eye
That won my love, I know not why.
Once when my scanty meal was spread,
He entered — not a word he spake!
Just perishing for want of bread ;
I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,
JOSEPH THE PKOPHET. 525
And ate, but gave me part again;
Mine was an angel's portion then,
For while I fed with eager haste,
The crust was manna to my taste.
I spied him where a fountain burst,
Clear from the rock — hie. strength was gone,
The heedless water mocked his thirst,
He heard it, saw it hurrying on.
I ran and rais'd the suff'rer up;
Thrice from the stream he drain 'd my cup,
Dipped and return'd it running o'er; '
I drank and never thirsted more.
'Twas night, the floods were out, it blew
A winter hurricane aloof;
I heard his voice, abroad, and flew
To bid him welcome to my roof.
I warin'd, I cloth'd, I cheer'd my guest,
I laid him on my couch to rest;
Then made the earth my bed, and seem'd
In Eden's garden while I dream' d.
Stripp'd, wounded, beaten nigh to death,
1 found him by the highway side ;
I rous'd his pulse, brought back his breath,
Keviv'd his spirit, and supplied
Wine, oil, refreshment — he was heal'd;
I had myself a wound conceal'd;
But from that hour forgot the smart,
And peace bound up my broken heart.
In prison I saw him next — condemn'd
To meet a traitor's doom at morn;
The tide of lying tongues I stemm'd,
Andhonor'd him 'mid shame and scorn.
My friendship's utmost zeal to try,
He asked if 1 for him would die ;
The flesh was weak, my blood ran chill,
But the free spirit cried, "I will! "
526 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Then in a moment to my view,
The stranger started from disguise ;
The tokens in his hands I knew,
The Savior stood before mine eyes.
He spake — and my poor name he nam'd —
"Of me thou hast not been asham'd;
These deeds shall thy memorial bo;
Fear not, thou didst them unto me."
And when it was done, Joseph asked him to repeat
it. He replied that h£_d id not feel like singin g . He was
oppressed with a sense of coming disaster; but to gratify
Hyrum, he sang the hymn a gain, with much tender feel-
ing.
At four o'clock the guard was changed. A little after
five, the jailor came in and said that Stephen Markham
had been surrounded by a mob and driven from Carthage.
A little later there was a slight rustling at the outer door
of the jail, and a cry of surrender, then a discharge of
three or four guns. The plot had been carried out: two
hundred of the mob came rushing into the jail yard, and
the guards fired their pieces over the heads of the assail-
ing party.
Many of the mob rushed up the stairs while others
fired through the open windows of the jail into the room
where the brethren were confined. The four prisoners
sprang against the door, but the murderers burst it partly
open and pushed their guns into the room. John Taylor
and Willard Eichards, each with a cane, tried to knock
aside the weapons. A shower of bullets came up the
stairway and through the door. { ^ Hyrum was in front of
the door when a ball struc k him in the face and he fell
back saying:
^jl^A M A D EAD MAN^"-^
As he was falling, another bullet from the outside
passed through his swaying form, an d two o thers from
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 527
the doorway entered his body a moment later. When
Hyrum fell, Joseph exclaimed, "Oh, my dear brother
Hyrum!" and opening the door a few inches he dis-
charged his pistol into the stairway — but two or three
barrels missed fire.
When the door could no longer be held, and when he
could no longer parry the guns, Elder Taylor sprang to-
ward the window^. A bullet from the doorway struck his
leftthigh. Paralyzed and unable to helpThTmself he fell
on the window sill, and felt himself falling out, when by
some means which he did not understand at the time he
was thrown backward into the room. A bullet fired from
the outside struck his watch and the watch saved his life
in two ways, it stopped the bullet, which probably would
have killed him, and the force of the ball in striking it
threw him into the room. The watch stopped at sixteen
minutes and twenty-six seconds past 5 o'clock. After he
fell into the room three other bullets struck him, spatter-
ing his blood like rain upon the walls and floor.
Joseph saw that there was no longer safety in the
room; and thinking that he would save the life of Willard
Richards if he himself should spring from the room, he
turned immediately from the door, dropped his pistol and
leaped into the window. Instantly two bullets pierced
him from the door, and one entered his right breast from
without, and he fell outward into the hands of his mur-
derers exclaiming:
' 'OH_LORD, 3iY_G0Xt!i^
When his body struck the ground he rolled instantly
upon his face — dead. As he lay there, one of the mob,
bare footed and bare headed, wearing no coat, with his
trousers rolled above his knees and his shirt sleeves above
his elbows, seized the body of the murdered Prophet and
set it against the south side of the well curb. Colonel Levi
Williams then ordered four men to shoot Joseph. Stand-
528 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
ing about eight feet from his body they fired simultan-
eously. The body slightly cringed as the bullets entered
it, and once more Joseph fell upon his face. He had
smiled with sweet compassion in his countenance as he
gazed upon his murderers in the last moment of his life ;
and this was the expression when the face was set in
death.
The Missourians had offered a large reward for
Joseph's head; and the ruffian who had set him against
the well curb now approached with a glittering knife for
the purpose of severing the head from the body. William
M. Daniels who claims to have been an eye-witness to the
proceedings says that as he was about to make the awful
stroke a vivid light burst from the heavens upon the bloody
scene. It passed between Joseph and his murderers, and
they were struck with terror. Ihe knife fell from the
powerless hand of the ruffian, and he stood transfixed.
The muskets dropped from the arms of Williams' four
executioners, and they had not the power to move a limb.
Horrified, the mob scattered in all directions. Wil-
liams cried to them to come back and carry off the four
men who still stood like marble statues, frozen with terror.
They obeyed, and these men were lifted into the baggage
wagons as inert as corpses.
When Joseph fell from the window the mob on the
stairway rushed down and out of the building to find him;
and it was this which saved the lives of Willard Ricjm rds,
and John Taylor. Willard started to leave the room think-
ing all were dead but himself; but Elder Taylor called to
him. He^re.tm^n^J.opkjLipJ:he_^od which -w&$
bleeding from four ghastly wounds, and carried him into
an inner dungeon cell and placed him on a filthy mattress
which was lying there, saying: "If your wounds are not
fatal I want you to live to tell this story."
Nearly all the inhabitants of Carthage followed the
mob in their flight of horror. The governor came to Car-
thage in the night, wrote an order for the citizens of Nau-
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 529
voo to defend themselves, and then the miserable coward
fled toQuincy.
JIaving provided as well as possible for the wounds
of John Taylor, on the morning of the 28th of June Dr.
Richards started for Nauvoo with the bodies of the mar-
tyrs^ They were met by thousands of lamenting Saints
whose wailings ascended into the ears of Almighty God.
Ten thousand people were addressed by Apostle Richards ,
Colonel Markham and others who admonished them to
keep the peace and trust to the law for a remedy for the
awful crimes which had been committed, and when the
law failed, to call upon God in heaven to avenge them of
their wrongs.
The bodies of the martyrs were taken to the Mansion
House and cared for by loving friends. The loved ones
of the dead Prophet and Patriarch were first admitted and
fell upon the dear facesand kissed them and begged for
one more word of comfort.
Early the next morning the bodies were placed in
coffins covered with black velvet, and the caskets were
then placed in rough pine boxes. The doors were thrown
open, and ten thousand people walked through the Man-
sion and gazed upon the martyred clay. All this time the
people were in constant expectation of an attack by the
mob army upon the defenseless city.
At night the house was closed and then the coffins
were lifted out of the boxes and concealed in an apartment
of the Mansion while bags of sand took their place in the
outer caskets. A mock funeral was held; the boxes were
carried in a hearse to the graveyard and there deposited
in the earth with the usual ceremonies. The course seemed
necessary, because the enemies of Joseph andHyrum had
taken a ghastly oath to steal the remains.
At midnightthe bodies were taken in their caskets
from the Mansion House by Dimick B. Huntington, Ed-
ward Hunter, William D. Huntington, William Marks,
Jonathan H. Holmes, Gilbert Goldsmith, Alpheus Cutler,
36
530 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
Lorenzo D. Wasson, Philip B. Lewis and James Emmett
to the Nauvoo House, the foundation of which was then
built, and they were interred in the basement. Immedi-
ately afterward, a terrific storm of rain came on accom-
panied by thunder and lightning. The tears of heaven
obliterated all traces of the newly dug graves, and the
bodies remained there in safe repose until a later time
when they were removed elsewhere.
The woe of the Saints cannot be described. They
were menaced with extermination. Their Prophet and
Patriarch were dead. Only two of the Apostles were there,
and one of these was supposed to be dying.
The enemies of truth were sure that they had now de-
stroyed the work. And yet it lives, greater and stronger
after the lapse of years! It is indestructible for it is the
work of God. And knowing that it is the eternal work of
God, we know that Joseph Smith, who established it, was
a Prophet holy and pure.
ANECDOTES AND SAYINGS OF THE PROPHET.
"Seek ye wisdom from the best books."
"The cause of human liberty is the cause of God."
"We will never be justly charged with the sin of in-
gratitude.' ?
"Baptism is a covenant with God that we will do His
will."
"All men will be raised from the grave by the power
of God, having spirit in their bodies and not blood."
"Our affections should be placed upon God and His
work more intensely than upon our fellow-beings."
"I will walk through the gates of heaven, and claim
what I seal and those that follow me and my counsel."
"I understand some law, and more justice and know
as much about the rights of American citizens as any
man."
"All children are redeemed by the blood of Jesus
Christ, and the moment they leave this world they are
taken to the bosom of Abraham.",
"The Lord once told me that what I asked for I
should have. I have been afraid to ask God to kill my
enemies, lest some of them should, perad venture, repent.''
"Beware, oh earth! how you fight against the Saints
of God and shed innocent blood; for, in the days of
Elijah, his enemies came upon him, and fire was called
down from heaven to destroy them."
532 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
" Sectarian priests cry out concerning me and ask:
"Why is it that bhis babbler gets so many followers and
retains them! " I answer: "It is because I possess the
principle of love. All that I offer the world is a good
heart and a good hand."
"I am a rough stone. The sound of the hammer and
chisel was never heard on me until the Lord took me in
hand. I desire the learning and wisdom of heaven alone. ' 1
"I asked a short time since for the Lord to deliver
me out of the hands of the governor; and if it needs must
be to accomplish it to take him away; and the next news
that came pouring down from there was that Governor
Reynolds had shot himself."
Speaking of the death of Judge Higbee, a just and
good man, Joseph said:
"Who is there that would not give all his goods to
feed the poor, and pour out his gold and silver to the four
winds to go where Elias Higbee has gone?"
At Far West, Missouri, on the 4th day of July, 1838,
the liberty pole was struck by lightning and shattered
into splinters. Joseph walked around on the fragments,
saying:
"As that pole was splinted, so shall the nations of
the earth be."
Soon after the nomination of the Prophet for the
Presidency of the United States, Apostle George A. Smith
related that Elder Farnham heard the people in St. Louis
say:
"Things have come to a strange pass if Joseph Smith
is elected President, he will raise the devil with Missouri;
and if he is not elected he will raise the devil anyhow."
An angry sectarian in Kirtland commanded fire to
come down out of heaven to consume the Prophet and his
house. Joseph smiled and said:
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 533
"You are one of Baal's prophets; your]Grod|does not
hear yon."
A visitor, who remarked that the people had been
gathered from the four quarters of the earth, of Jdifferent
races and creeds, asked the Prophet:
"Mr. Smith, how do you govern these people?"
"I teach them correct principles and t heyfgovern
themselves."
' * Salvation cannot come without revelation ; it is in
vain for any man to minister without it. No man is a
minister of Jesus Christ without being a Prophet. No
man can be a minister of Jesus Clmst except ,;he has the
testimony of Jesus, and this is the spirit of prophecy."
The Prophet was preaching in Philadelphia, when a
man called out for a sign and would not let Joseph pro-
ceed peaceably with his sermon. After having vainly
warned the man of what Christ said concerning sign-
seekers, the person still persisting, Joseph said^to the con-
gregation :
"This man is an adulterer."
<l It is true," cried another, "for I caught him in the
very act;" and the sign-seeker af ter wards ]confessed that
the charge was correct.
"The Saints can testify whether I am willing to lay
down my life for my brethren. If it has been demon-
strated that I have been willing to die for a Mcrmon, I
am bold to declare before heaven that I am just as ready
to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Bap-
tist or a good man of any other denomination; for the
same principle which would trample upon the rights of the
Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the
Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may
be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves."
"There are two Comforters spoken of. The first
Comforter is the Holy Ghost. * * * Now what
tf'
?)
534 JOSEPH THE PKOPHET.
is this other Comforter? It is the Lord Jesus Christ Him-
self. When any man obtains this last Comforter he will
have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or ap-
pear unto him from time to time, and even He will mani-
fest the Father unto him. They will take up their
abode in him, and the visions of the heavens will be
opened unto him and the Lord will teach him face to
face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mys-
teries of the kingdom of God; and this is the state and
place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such
glorious visions."
Sunday, March 10, 1844 — ''I prophesy in the name of
the Lord that Christ will not come this year; and I also
prophesy in the name of the Lord that Christ will not
come in forty years; and if God ever spoke by my
mouth He will not come in that length of time. Jesus
Christ never did reveal to any man the precise time that
He ivoald come."
"The Savior, Moses and Elias, gave the keys of
the Priesthood to Peter, James and John, on the Mount,
when they were transfigured before Him.
How have we come at the Priesthood in the last days? It
came down in regular succession. Peter, James and John
had it given to them, and they gave it to others." [The
Prophet and Oliver Cowdery].
The Laws, and Fosters, and Higbees had threatened
to kill Joseph, alleging that he was a false Prophet and
they would do well to rid the world of him. He preached
a funeral sermon upon Elder King Follett, on Sunday,
the 7th day of April, 1844. Eef erring to the murderous
hate of his enemies he said :
4 'If any man is authorized to take away my life be-
cause he thinks and says I am a false teacher, then, upon
the same principle, we should be justified in taking away
the life of every false teacher; and where would be the end
of blood? and who would not be the sufferer?
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 535
"But meddle not with any man for his religion; and
all governments ought to permit every man to enjoy his
religion unmolested. No man is authorized to take away
life in consequence of difference of religion, which all laws
and governments ought to tolerate and protect, right or
wrong. Every man has a natural, and, in our country, a
constitutional right to be a false prophet as well as a true
prophet. If I show, verily, that I have the truth of God,
and show that ninety-nine out of every hundred profess-
ing to be religious ministers are false teachers, -having no
authority, while they pretend to hold the keys of God's
kingdom on earth, and was to kill them because they are
false teachers, it would deluge the whole world with
blood."
Elder O. B. Huntington relates the following cir-
cumstance, which was detailed to him by Father Zera
Cole while they were at work in the Logan temple for
the dead:
Brother Cole was with the Camp of Zion which went
up to Missouri in 1834. While traveling across a vast
prairie, treeless and waterless, they encamped at night
after a long and wearisome day's march. They had been
without water since early morning, and men and animals
suffered greatly from thirst, for it had been one of the
hottest days of June. Joseph sat in his tent door looking
out upon the scene. All at once he called for a spade.
When it was brought he looked about him and selected a
spot, the most convenient in the camp for men and teams
to get water. Then he dug a shallow well-, and immedi-
ately the water came bubbling up into it and filled it, so
that the horses and mules could stand upon the brink and
drink from it. While the camp stayed there, the well re-
mained full, despite the fact that about two hundred men
and scores of horses and mules were supplied from it.
Elder William Cahoon also told Brother Huntington
of this incident.
536 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
"There are but a few beings in the world who under-
stand rightly the character of God. The great majority
of mankind do not comprehend anything, either that which
is past or that which is to come, as it respects their re-
lationship to God. * * * If a man learns nothing
more than to eat, drink and sleep, and does not compre-
hend the designs of God, then the beast comprehends as
much. If men do not comprehend the character of God
they do not comprehend themselves. I want to go back to
the beginning, and so lift your minds into a more lofty
sphere and a more exalted understanding than what the
human mind generally aspires to.
"I want to ask this congregation — every man, woman
and child — to answer the question in their own hearts,
what kind of a being is God? Ask yourselves; turn your
thoughts into your hearts, and say if any of you have seen,
heard or communed with Him. This is a question that
may occupy your attention for a long time. I again re-
peat the question, What kind of a being is God? Does
any man or woman know? The Scriptures inform us that
'This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.' "
On the 25th day of June, 1844, at about half past nine
a. m., after repeated solicitations from the Prophet for a
personal interview, Governor Ford came to Carthage jail,
in company with Colonel Geddes, and the following con-
versation occurred, as reported by Apostle John Taylor :
Governor: "General Smith, I believe you have given
me a general outline of the diffic J ties that have existed in
the country in the documents forwarded to me by Dr.
Bernhisel and Mr. Taylor; but, unfortunately, there seems
to be a great discrepancy between your statements and
those of your enemies. It is true that you are substanti-
ated by evidence and affidavit, but for such an extraordi-
nary excitement as that which is now mthe country, there
must be some cause, and I attribute the last outbreak to
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 537
the destruction of the Expositor, and to your refusal to
comply with the writ issued by Esq. Morrison. The press
in the United States is looked upon as the great bulwark
of American freedom, and its destruction in Nauvoo was
represented and looked upon as a high-handed measure,
and manifests to the people a disposition on your part to
suppress the liberty of speech and of the press; this, with
your refusal to comply with the requisition of a writ, I
conceive to be the principal cause of this difficulty, and
you are, moreover, represented to me as turbulent and de-
fiant of the laws and institutions of our country."
General Smith: "Governor Ford, you, sir, as gov-
ernor of this state, are aware of the prosecutions and per-
secutions that I have endured. You know well that our
course has been peaceable and law-abiding, for I have
furnished this state, ever since our settlement here, with
sufficient evidence of my pacific intentions, and those of
the people with whom I am associated, by the endurance of
every conceivable indignity and lawless outrage perpe-
trated upon me and upon this people since our settlement
here, and you yourself know that I have kept you well
posted in relation to ail matters associated with the late
difficulties. If you have not got some of my communica-
tions, it has not been my fault.
"Agreeable to your orders, I assembled the Nauvoo
Legion for the protection of Nauvoo and the surrounding
country against an armed band of marauders, and ever
since they have been mustered I have almost daily com-
municated with you in regard to all the leading events
that have transpired; and whether in the capacity of
mayor of the city, or lieutenant-general of the Nauvoo
Legion, I have striven, according to the best of my judg-
ment, to preserve the peace and administer even-handed
justice to all; but my motives are impugned, my acts are
misconstrued, and I am grossly and wickedly misrepre-
sented. I suppose I am indebted for my incarceration
here to the oath of a worthless man that was arraigned
538 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
before me and fined for abusing and maltreating his lame,
helpless brother.
"That I should be charged by you, sir, who know
better, of acting contrary to law, is to me a matter of sur-
prise. Was it the Mormons or our enemies who first
commenced these difficulties? You know well we did not;
and when this turbulent, outrageous people commenced
their insurrectionary movements, I made you acquainted
with them, officially, and asked your advice, and have
followed strictly your counsel in every particular. Who
ordered out the Nauvoo Legion? I did under your direc-
tion. For what purpose? To suppress these insurrec-
tionary movements. It was at your instance, sir, that I
issued a proclamation calling upon the Nauvoo Legion to
be in readiness, at a moment's warning, to guard against
the incursions of mobs, and gave an order to Jonathan
Dunham, acting major-general, to that effect. Am I then
to be charged with the acts of others; and because law-
lessness and mobocracy abound, and I, when carrying out
your instructions, to be charged with not abiding law?
Why is it that I must be made accountable for other men's
acts? If there is trouble in the country, neither I nor my
people made it, and all that we have ever done, after much
endurance on our part, is to maintain and uphold the
constitution and the institutions of our country, and to
protect an injured, innocent and persecuted people against
misrule and mob violence.
"Concerning the destruction of the press to which you
refer, men may differ somewhat in their opinions about it;
but can it be supposed that after all the indignities to
which we have been subjected outside, that this people
could suffer such a set of worthless vagabonds to come
into our city, and right under our own eyes and protection,
vilify and calumniate not only ourselves, but the character
of our wives and daughters, as was impudently and un-
blushingly done in that infamous and filthy sheet? There
is not a city in the United States that would have suffered
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 539
such an indignity for twenty-four hours. Our whole peo-
ple were indignant, and loudly called upon our city au-
thorities for a redress of their grievances, which if not at-
tended to, they themselves would have taken the matter
into their own hands, and have summarily punished the
audacious wretches, as they deserved.
"The principles of equal rights that have been in-
stilled into our bosoms from our cradles, as American citi-
zens forbid us submitting to every foul indignity, suc-
cumbing and pandering to wretches so infamous as these.
But, independent of this, the course that we pursued we
considered to be strictly legal; for, notwithstanding the
insult, we were anxious to be governed strictly by law,
and therefore convened the city council; and, being desir-
ous in our deliberations to abide law, summoned legal
counsel to be present on the occasion.
"Upon investigating the matter we found that our
city charter gave us power to remove all nuisances; and,
furthermore, upon consulting Blackstone upon what might
be considered a nuisance that distinguished lawyer, who
is considered authority, I believe, in all our courts, states,
among other thing's, that a libelous and filthy press may
be considered a nuisance and abated as such.
"Here then one of the most eminent English barris-
ters, whose works are considered standard with us, de-
clares that a libelous and filthy press may be considered a
nuisance, and our own charter, given us by the legislature
of this state, gives us the power to remove nuisances; and
by ordering that press abated as a nuisance, we conceived
that we were acting strictly in accordance with law. We
made that order in our corporate capacity, and the city
marshal carried it out. It is possible there may have
been some better way, but I must confess that I could
not see it.
"In relation to the writ served upon us, we were will-
ing to abide the consequences of our own acts, but were
uDwilling, in answering a writ of that kind, to submit to
540 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
illegal exactions sought to be imposed upon us under the
pretense of law, when we know they were in open -viola-
tion of it.
"When that document was presented to me by Mr.
Bettisworth, I offered in the presence of more than twenty
persons, to go to any other magistrate, either in our city
or Appanoose, or any other place whera we should be safe,
but we refused to put ourselves into the power of a mob.
' ' What right had that constable to refuse our request?
He had none according to law; for you know, Governor
Ford, that the statute law in Illinois is, that the parties
served with the writ 'shall go before him who issued it, or
some other justice of the peace.' Why, then, should we
be dragged to Carthage, where the law does not compel
us to go? Does not this look like many others of our
prosecutions with which you are acquainted? And had we
not a right to expect foul play?
"This very act was a breach of law on his part — an
assumption of power that did not belong to him, and an
attempt, at least, to deprive us of our legal and constitu-
tional rights and privileges. What could we do under
the circumstances different from what we did do? We
sued for, and obtained a writ of habeas corpus from the
municipal court, by which we were delivered from the
hands of Constable Bettisworth, and brought before and
acquitted by the municipal court.
"After our acquittal, in a conversation with Judge
Thomas, although he considered the acts of the party
illegal, he advised, that to satisfy the people, we had bet-
ter go before another magistrate who was not in our Church.
"In accordance with his advice we went before Esq.
Wells, with whom you are well acquainted: both parties
were present, witnesses were called on both sides, the
case was fully investigated, and we were again dismissed.
"And what is this pretended desire to enforce law,
and these lying, base rumors put into circulation
for, but to seek, through mob influence, under pretense of
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 541
law, to make us submit to requisitions that are contrary
to law, and subversive to every principle of justice?
"And when you, sir, required us to come out here, we
came, not because it was legal, but because you required
it of us, and we were desirous of showing to you and to
all men that we shrink not from the most rigid investiga-
tion of our acts.
"We certainly did expect other treatment than to be
immured in a jail at the instance of these men, and I think,
from your plighted faith, we had a right to, after disband-
ing our own forces, and putting ourselves entirely in your
hands : and now, after having fulfilled my part, sir, as a man
and an American citizen, I call upon you, Governor Ford,
and think that I have a right to do so, to deliver us from
this place, and rescue us from this outrage that is sought
to be practiced upon us by a set of infamous scoundrels.
Gov. Ford: "But you have placed men under arrest,
detained men as prisoners, and given passes to others,
some of which I have seen."
John P. Greene, City Marshal: "Perhaps I can ex-
plain. Since these difficulties have commenced, you are
aware that we have been placed under very peculiar cir-
cumstances, our city has been placed under a very rigid
police guard; in addition to this, frequent guards have
been placed outside the city to prevent any sudden sur-
prise, and those guards have questioned suspected or sus-
picious persons as to their business.
"To strangers, in some instances, passes have been
given, to prevent difficulty in passing those guards. It is
some of those passes that you have seen. No person, sir,
has been imprisoned without a legal cause in our city."
Governor: "Why did you not give a more speedy an-
swer to the posse that I sent out? ? '
General Smith: "We had matters of importance to
consult upon. Your letter showed anything but an amic-
able spirit. We have suffered immensely in Missouri from
mobs, in loss of property, imprisonment and otherwise.
"It took some time for us to weigh duly these mat-
542 JOSEPH THE PEOPHET.
ters. We could not decide upon matters of such import-
ance immediately, and your posse were too hasty in
returning. We were consulting for a large people and
vast interests were at stake.
"We had been outrageously imposed upon, and knew
not how far we could trust anyone ; besides a question
necessarily arose, how shall we come? Your request was
that we should come unarmed. It became a matter of
serious importance to decide how far promises could be
trusted, and how far we were safe from mob violence."
Col. Geddes: "It certainly did look from all I have
heard, from the general spirit of violence and mobocracy
that here prevails, that it was not safe for you to come
unprotected."
Governor: "I think that sufficient time was not
allowed by the posse for you to consult and get ready.
They were too hasty, but I suppose they found themselves
bound by their orders. I think, too, there is a great deal
of truth in what you say, and your reasoning is plaus-
ible: yet I must beg leave to differ from you in relation
to the acts of the city council. That council in my opin-
ion, had no right to act in a legislative capacity, and in
that of the judiciary.
"They should have passed a law in relation to the
matter, and then the municipal court, upon complaint,
could have removed it; but for the city council to take
upon themselves the law-making, and the execution of
the law is, in my opinion, wrong; besides, these men
ought to have had a hearing before their property was
destroyed, to destroy it without was an infringement of
their rights, besides, it is so contrary to the feelings of
American people to interfere with the press.
"And furthermore, I cannot but think that it would
have been more judicious for you to have gone with Mr.
Bettisworth to Carthage, notwithstanding the law did not
require it. Concerning your being in jail, I am sorry for
that, I wish it had been otherwise. I hope you will soon
be released, but I cannot interfere."
JOSEPH THE PROPHET. 543
Gen. Smith: " Governor Ford, allow me, sir, to bring
one thing to your mind, that yon seem to have over-
looked. You state that you think it would have been
better for us to have submitted to the requisition of Con-
stable Bettisworth, and to have gone to Carthage.
"Do you not know, sir, that that writ was served at
the instance of an anti-Mormon mob, who had passed reso-
lutions and published them to the effect that they would
exterminate the Mormon leaders; and are you not
informed that Captain Anderson was not only threatened
when coming to Nauvoo, but had a gun fired at his boat by
this said mob in Warsaw, when coming up to Nauvoo, and
that this very thing was made use of as a means to get us
into their hands, and we could not, without taking an
armed force with us, go there without, according to their
published declarations, going into the jaws of death?
"To have taken a force would only have fanned the
excitement, as they would have stated that we- wanted to
use intimidation, therefore we thought it the most judi-
cious to avail ourselves of the protection of the law."
Governor: "I see, I see."
Gen. Smith: "Furthermore, in relation to the press,
you say that you differ from me in opinion; be it so, the
thing, after all, is only a legal difficulty, and the courts, I
should judge competent to decide on that matter.
"If our act was illegal, we are willing to meet it, and
although I cannot see the distinction that you draw about
the acts of the city council, and what difference it could
have made in point of fact, law or justice, between the
city council's acting together or separate, or how much
more legal it would have been for the municipal court,
who were a part of the city council, to act separate,
instead of with the councillors.
"Yet, if it is deemed that we did wrong in destroy-
ing that press, we refuse not to pay for it, we are
desirous to fulfill the law in every particular, and are
responsible for our acts.
544 JOSEPH THE PROPHET.
"You say that the parties ought to have a hearing.
Had it been a civil suit, this of course would have been
proper; but there was flagrant violation of every principle
of right, a nuisance, and it was abated on the same
principle that any nuisance, stench or putrified carcass
would have been removed.
"Our first step, therefore, was to stop the foul, noi-
some, filthy sheet, and then the next, in our opinion,
would have been to have prosecuted the man for a breach
of public decency.
"And furthermore, again, let me say, Governor
Ford, I shall look to you for our protection. I believe
you are talking of going to Xauvoo; if you go, sir, I wish
to go along. I refuse not to answer any law, but I do
not consider myself safe hero."
(lovernor: "I am in hopes that you will be acquitted;
but if I go, I will certainly take you along. I do not,
however, apprehend danger, I think you are perfectly
safe, either here or anywhere else. I cannot, however,
interfere with the law. I am placed in peculiar circum-
stances, and seem to be blamed by all paities."
(ion. Smith: "Governor Ford, I ask nothing but
what is legal. I have a right to expect protection, at
least from you; for, independent of law, you have
pledged your faith, and that of the state for my protec-
tion, and I wish to go to Xauvoo."
(lovernor: "And you shall have protection, General
Smith. I did not make this promise without consulting
my ollicers, who all pledged their honor to its fulfillment.
I do not know that I shall go tomorrow to Xauvoo, but if
I do, I will take you along."
The governor left after saying that the prisoners were
under his protection, and again pledging himself that they
should be protected from violence, and telling them that
if the troops marched the next morning to Nauvoo, as he
then expected, they would probably be taken along, in
order to ensure their personal safety.
APPENDIX.
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APPENDIX. 547
NOTE 2.
"As you pass on the mail road from Palmyra, Wayne County, to
Canandaigua, OntariD County, New York, before arriving at the little
village of Manchester, say from three to four, or about four miles from
Palmyra, you pass a large hill on the east side of the road. Why I say
large, is because it is as large, perhaps, as any in that country.
"The north end rises quite suddenly until it assumes a level with
the more southerly extremity, and I think I may say, an elevation higher
than at the south, a short distance, say half or three-fourths of a mile.
As you pass toward Canandaigua it lessens gradually, until the surface
assumes its common level, or is broken by other smaller hills or ridges,
water courses and raviues. I think I am justified in saying that this is
the highest hill for some distance round, and I am certain that its ap-
pearance, as it rises so suddenly from a plain on the north, must attract
the notice of the traveler as he passes by. The north end (which has
been described as rising suddenly above the plain) forms a promontory
without timber, but covered with grass. As you pass to the south you
soon come to scattering timber, the surface having been cleared by art
or wind; and a short distance further left, you are surrounded with
the common forest of the country. It is necessary to observe that even
the part cleared was only occupied for pasturage; its steep ascent and
narrow summit not admitting the plow of the husbandman with any de-
gree of ease or profit. It was at the second mentioned place, where the
record was found to be deposited, on the west side of the hill, not far
from the top down its side; and when I visited the place in the year
J830, there were several trees standing— enough to cause a shade in
summer, but not so much as to prevent the surface being covered with
grass, which was also the case when the record was first found."
NOTE 3.
The record of these inhuman proceedings is made up mainly from
the mobs' own official report of their doings.
NOTE 4.
The revelation in our day of the doctrine of baptism for the dead
may be said to have constituted a new epoch in the history of our race.
At the time the Prophet Joseph received that revelation the belief
was general in Christendom that at death the destiny of the soul
was fixed irrevocably and for all eternity. If not rewarded with end-
less happiness, then endless torment was its doom, beyond all possi*
548 APPENDIX.
bility ot: redemption or change. The horrible and monstrous doc-
trine, so much at variance with every element of divine justice, was
generally believed, that the heatheu nations who had died without a
knowledge of the true God and the redemption wrought out by His
Son, Jesus Christ, would all be eternally consigned to hell. The
belief upon this point is illustrated by the reply of: a certain Bishop
to the inquiry of the king of the Franks, when the king was about to
submit to baptism at the hands of the Bishop. The king was a heathen,
but had concluded to accept the form of religion then called Christi-
anity. The thought occurred to him that if baptism was necessary
for his salvation what had become of his dead ancestors who had
died heathens. This thought framed itself into an inquiry which he
addressed to the Bishop. The prelate, less politic than many of his
sect, bluntly told him they had gone to hell. "Then, by Thor, I will go
there with them," said the king, and thereupon refused to accept bap-
tism or to become a Christian.
When the Latter-day Saints received the gospel, and learned that
there is out one way by which men can be saved, their thoughts
turned to their dead ancestry. What would be their fate in the
great hereafter? In many cases they knew their parents, grand-
parents and other relatives, had been persons who conscientiously lived
up to the light they had received and served God to the best of their
ability. The words of the Prophet Malachi as quoted by the angel
Moroni to the Prophet Joseph, were literally fulfilled:
Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of
Elijah the Prophet, before the comiug of the great and dreadful day of
the Lord.
And he shall plant in the hearts of the children, the promises made
to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers;
if it were not so the whole earth would be utterly wasted at His coming,
As predicted, Elijah, the Prophet did come. The hearts of the
fathers were turned to the children, and the children to the fathers, ac-
cording to the promise. Then came the revelation of God's plan for
the salvation of the dead who had passed away without the opportunity
of receiving: the ordinances of the gospel, administered by those whom
God had authorized to perform them in His name. Peter's words were
explained, where he says:
For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead,
that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live ac-
cording to God in the spirit.
Also Paul's to the Corinthans, in which he alludes to baptism for
tho dead:
APPENDIX. 549
Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the
dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?
God's justice and mercy were vindicated. The comprehensive and
far-reaching character of the atonement of the Lord Jesus was made
plain, and the children of men had renewed cause to extol the glorious
plan of salvation provided for the redemption of the human family.
Jesus had died for all. His vicarious atonement had broken the bands
of death. lu a limited sphere, by the revelation of the sublime doc-
trine of baptism for the dead, His brethren and sisters had the glorious
privilege accorded them of becoming saviors, and contributing to the
general salvation of the race. They, also, could, vicariously, officiate
for those who had died without the opportunity of obeying baptism and
other ordinances essential to salvation, administered by legally author-
ized servants of God.
NOTE 5.
The Illinois Springfield Register said of the Prophet's candidacy:
GENERAL JOSEPH SMITH A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT.
It appears by the Nanvoo papers that the Mormon Prophet is actu-
ally a candidate for the Presidency. He has sent us his pamphlet, con-
taining an extract of his principles, from which it appears that he is up
to the hub for a United States bank and a protective tariff. On these
points he is much more explicit than Mr. Clay, who will not say that he
.is for a bank, but talks all the time of restoring a national currency.
Nor will Mr. Clay say what kind of a tariff he is for. He says to the
south that he has not sufficiently examined the present tariff, but thinks
very likely it could be amended.
General Smith professes no such fastidious delicacy. He comes
right out in favor of a bank and a tariff, taking the true Whig ground,
and ought to be regarded as the real Whig candidate for President, un-
til Mr. Cla3 r can so far recover from his shuffling and dodging as to de-
clare his sentiments like a man.
At present we can form no opinion of Clay's principles, except as
they are professed by his friends in these parts.
Clay himself, has adopted the notion which was once entertained
by an eminent grammarian, who denied that language was intended as
a means to express one's ideas but insisted that it was invented on pur-
pose to aid us in concealing them.
The Iowa Democrat said :
A NEW CANDIDATE IN THE FIELD.
We see from the Nauvoo Neighbor that General Joseph Smith, the
great Mormon Prophet, has become a candidate for the next Presidency.
We do not know whether he intends to submit his claims to the Na-
550 APPENDIX.
tional convention, or not; but, judging from the language of his own
organ, we conclude that he considers himself a full team for all of
them.
All that we have to say on ihis point is, that if superior taleut,
genius and intelligence, combined with virture, integrity and enlarged
views, are any guarantee to General Smith's being elected, we think
that he will be a full team of himself.
The Missouri Republican believes that it will be death to Van
Buren, and all agree that it must be injurious to the Democratic rank?>
inasmuch as it will throw the Mormon vote out of the field,
THE LIFE OF
JOSEPH
SMITH
THE PROPHET
BY
GEORGE Q.
CANNON
Date Due
All library items are subject to recall 3 weeks from
the original date stamped.
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